Collaboration can improve access to rail careers, strengthen progression, and develop future talent. Richard Harmer, CEO of Young Rail Professionals, explores how.
The Government’s recent Young People and Work interim report highlighted a challenge many industries are already facing. Too many young people are struggling to access meaningful careers while employers continue to face skills shortages and an ageing workforce. The railway is no exception.
As chief executive officer of Young Rail Professionals (YRP) I see both the challenge and the opportunity. YRP exists to promote, inspire, and develop people in the first 15 years of their rail career. Through nine local committees across the UK and Ireland, our volunteers deliver technical talks, site visits, networking events, outreach activities, and professional development opportunities that complement the excellent work already being undertaken by employers across the industry.
The Rail Youth Promise builds on that same ambition. I spoke at its parliamentary launch on 15 July about career growth and progression. The Rail Youth Promise brings together employers, professional institutions, and industry organisations around a shared commitment to helping more young people discover rail careers, enter the industry, and build long-term futures within it.
Ahead of the event, we asked our members and the wider rail community where they believe the industry should focus its efforts. Respondents most frequently identified employers as having the greatest responsibility for improving opportunities for young people (68%), followed by government (59%), and organisations such as Young Rail Professionals (53%).
This reflects something I believe strongly: developing the next generation of railway professionals is a shared responsibility. Employers create opportunities, government helps shape the environment, and organisations like YRP help connect people and share knowledge and help careers become more visible.
Uncovering opportunities
Awareness remains one of the biggest barriers. Nearly three quarters of respondents (73%) identified a lack of awareness of rail careers as a barrier to entry, while two thirds (67%) said young people simply do not know how to enter the industry. Respondents were equally clear about the solution, with stronger outreach in schools and colleges receiving the highest level of support (56%).
This is exactly why YRP continues to invest in our IntoRail project. By working with schools, colleges, and universities across the UK and Ireland, we’re helping young people understand that the railway offers far more than the careers they typically see.
If your organisation hosts upcoming careers fairs, graduate induction days, or education outreach activities, we’d love to be involved. Our volunteers are always looking for opportunities to represent the industry, share their experiences, and help more young people discover what a career in rail can offer.
Supporting progression
The conversation changes once people have entered the industry. Better career progression was the single biggest factor influencing whether respondents would remain in rail, at 60%. Clearer progression pathways (43%), more paid work experience (35%), better feedback following unsuccessful applications (33%), and more apprenticeships (29%) were all identified as practical ways to improve long-term retention.
Technical talks have been a core part of YRP since our founding in 2009. Alongside standalone events, we’re continuing to develop long-running professional development series that allow members to explore topics in greater depth, build on previous sessions, and tackle more specialist areas.
Recent examples include the East Midlands’ BeEnspired series with Enspired Consulting Ltd and Enigma Seven, and the new Young Leaders Development Series launched by our London & South East committee with Tom Lawrence. We’d love to see similar programmes develop across every committee, particularly in the North West and West Midlands, creating regular opportunities for members to learn from experienced professionals across the industry. If you have knowledge or experience to share, we’d love to hear from you.
Career progression also benefits from conversations that don’t always happen in the workplace. We’re beginning to introduce informal career development sessions where members can discuss CVs, applications, interviews, promotions and professional development with experienced railway professionals over a coffee.
The sessions are designed to help members recognise opportunities, prepare for promotion, develop professionally, and build the confidence to take the next step in their career. We’re also keen to grow mentoring opportunities once again and would welcome conversations with organisations and individuals who would like to help shape that next chapter.
YRP has more volunteers than at any point in our history. The enthusiasm is there, the ideas are there, and the railway has no shortage of expertise to share. What we need now are more organisations and more people willing to help us turn that potential into opportunities for the next generation.
The Rail Youth Promise rightly recognises that developing future talent is a shared responsibility. Employers, government, and organisations such as Young Rail Professionals all have a part to play. The more we work together, the more visible, accessible, and rewarding railway careers will become for the people who will shape the railway’s future.
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