Jenna Macleod
2026 Saltire Scholar
Logistics Team Intern, Network Rail
Mechanical Engineering, University of Strathclyde
My name is Jenna and I study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. I didn’t think that I would be one of the people writing these blogs reflecting on my incredible summer with Network Rail, when I was scrolling through them last September after being told about the programme during a university lecture. I applied with the hope of gaining skills during an internship which would make me more employable. I also hoped to develop my confidence and gain a clearer idea of what I wanted to do after I graduated.
This summer, I had the opportunity to intern at Network Rail in the Logistics Team. This is a busy team which had just undergone a merge from two separate teams so were still finding their feet. This gave me the opportunity to contribute some meaningful work for the team. My primary task was to take the two customer guides and combine them into one document with consistency between the two types of orders to reflect the merged team and make the process simpler for customers. This task also involved liasing with different members of the team to understand the processes and how they had been updated since the guides were written. I also had the chance to speak to the RAM to understand the engineering aspect to logistics and input this into my work on the guide. I then sent out the completed guides to the customers for feedback which was overwhelmingly positive, which gave me a great sense of achievement, as this was a large and time-consuming body of work.
I also was tasked with looking into the benefits of installing CCTV at one of the depots to carry out consist checks more remotely. This was a very different type of task as the final output was a PowerPoint presentation. I was also able to visit the yard and witness how the DOM (Depot Operations Manager) currently carries out the consist checks and assess how this process could be significantly improved by the installation of CCTV. This cemented the importance of the work I was doing as I could see how CCTV would make a significant difference to the safety and assurance of the checks and hope that my work could be used to drive the process forward.
I was able to contribute meaningfully by being a fresh pair of eyes in the team and someone who had only seen the team as a merged team rather than two separate teams therefore I had no bias towards each team and could produce a fair document that equally represented each team. I also had the benefit of having no day-to-day tasks so was able to complete tasks for long term impact, which the team would never be able to fit in. The most rewarding part of the internship was seeing my projects come together and how they will be useful to the team. With some internships, there is not the opportunity to contribute to the company as there isn’t sufficient time to be trained up, but this was not the case at Network Rail.
The most memorable parts were the trips out of the office. Being able to see what I had been learning about up close was both exciting and inspiring, and made the theory make a lot more sense. A particular highlight was getting the opportunity to go on the measurement train and see how they monitor the track quality and where maintenance is required.
I had the chance to build good connections with my team and the other interns. I was inspired by the other interns’ enthusiasm and energy, which has really carried me along during my internship and I loved hearing how everyone’s experience differed or was similar. Having a group of 31 of us made the experience more fun, as there were always plenty people to talk to and such a variety of experience prior to the internship, which was very interesting to hear about. I am also incredibly grateful to my team for welcoming me in so kindly and despite being incredibly busy, always taking the time to go over whatever I needed to and not make me feel rushed.
This experience has helped me grow my confidence in working as part of a professional team on real outputs. This initially seemed really daunting, but now I feel more confident in my abilities thanks to my team. I developed my office skills, including in the Microsoft Applications, which although I felt like I had a good grasp of prior to the job, using them in a professional setting has made me even more confident using them and allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of how they can truly be utilised.
Prior to this experience, I hadn’t specifically considered the rail sector as an option, but now I know the breadth of opportunities, I see it as an excellent opportunity for a future career. I didn’t think I would have the confidence to reach out to people for help when I was working remotely, particularly when it’s easy to feel like a burden, however the team have fed back to me that me reaching out was the key to my success during the internship and an important part of collaborative working. The teams calls that resulted from this were also excellent learning opportunities as the team were all incredibly experienced and there was so much that I was able to learn from them.
I would say absolutely apply for the Saltire Scholars Programme as you never know where it could lead you. I saw in all the interns an openness to take any opportunity that comes your way as this results in the greatest chance to find something which drives you towards your future career. The programme has opened opportunities beyond this summer and university. I would give future Saltire Scholars the advice that you should have an open mind and confidence in yourself. Read these blogs believing that this time next year, you could be writing them if you are willing to put in the work that it takes, as it hasn’t always been an easy process and requires resilience.
