East Midlands Railway has launched its latest recruitment drive for apprentice train drivers.
The regional rail operator – which recently achieved a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating for its apprenticeship scheme – said it was keen to encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for the roles based at its Nottingham and Derby depots.
The appeal comes amid reports of further strike action expected within the industry after crisis talks between ministers and unions failed to resolve industrial disputes. Sustained action has crippled services, with only one in five trains running between Tuesday and Saturday.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch and Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers’ union Aslef, have been among those meeting with the Department for Transport for talks.
The East Midlands Railway (EMR) apprenticeship scheme is open to people aged 21 and above and involves a 12-18-month programme blending theory and practical work in the classroom with practical skills development such as cab rides and signal box visits.
Successful applicants will have access to EMR’s training academy where classroom learning is underpinned by VR technology replicating real life railway situations.
The railway company also has a cab simulator so apprentices can learn about train driving in a variety of different circumstances and conditions within a safe environment.
A spokeswoman said: “EMR values diversity and is committed to ensuring equality across its organisation.
“In particular, EMR encourage women, younger people and ethnic minority groups to apply for the roles.”
HR director Kate Holden said: “At EMR, we currently employ just over 600 drivers and to fulfil our fleet rollout, we need drivers to operate the trains across the network.
“One of our major challenges is encouraging a more diverse driving workforce. We’ve been working to increase the number of females applying for our driver roles, with open evenings aimed specifically at women, as well as tackling the unconscious bias through blind screening.
“We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and ages and we’d urge anybody interested in a career in any of these driver roles to check out our website.”
Closing date for applicants is January 22, 2023.
