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Tuesday 1 Oct 2024

Never Mind the Gap launched in Leeds supporting women to get into rail

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: North & East

Network Rail has partnered with LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express and Ganymede to host a two-week extensive programme at Leeds station promoting careers in rail for women.

‘Never Mind the Gap’ is a programme in partnership with Women in Rail to provide in-depth training, one-to-one support and engaging placements for women who want to get their careers back on track following time away from the workplace.

In September, the scheme was hosted at Leeds station to encourage more women to get into rail and showcase the wide range of career opportunities the industry offers.

Over the last two weeks, the women have attended various comprehensive workshops polishing up on their CV and interview skills, as well as active days out to a working train depot with Northern and a special behind the scenes tour of King’s Cross station with LNER.

The group also spent a day with a Mobile Operations Manager (MOM) from Network Rail, a first point of contact for any incident on the railway touring the key hotspot locations across West Yorkshire and learning about operational response.

Sarah Birtles, head of customer and stations transformation for Network Rail and co-chair of Women in Rail Yorkshire said: “This is a brilliant programme that demonstrates the wide range of job opportunities in the rail industry by empowering women to take the next steps in their career.

“It has been fantastic to work alongside colleagues from train operating companies to bring this excellent initiative to Leeds station.”

A spokesperson on behalf of LNER, Northern and TransPennine Express said: “We are delighted to be working together on this excellent scheme to encourage women to look at a career in the rail industry.

“We’ve received good feedback from previous participants, and we hope we can continue supporting and educating women on the great opportunities the railway can offer."

Charlotte Cruise, client relationship manager for Ganymede and committee member of Women in Rail East Midlands said: “I was super excited to be asked to support the roll-out of the first ever Women in Rail Never Mind the gap scheme in Leeds.

“Being part of the initial team that piloted the initiative in Derby several years ago, it is great to see how it has developed and continues to be rolled out in more locations. The programme is a fantastic way to showcase the variety of opportunities the rail sector can offer and supports one of our biggest goals at Women in Rail, which is attracting and supporting more women into the rail sector.

“Having spent some time with the participants, I can say they are a fantastic group of individuals who have a lot to offer the industry.”

Serena Woodcock who completed the scheme said: “I joined this programme after being a stay-at-home mum for 10 years. I was eager to get back to work, but anxious that the gap in employment would be a barrier.

“This course has been invaluable to me; it has provided me with the confidence to progress in my job searches and has me looking forward to a potential career in rail.”