Women
Transport is not as diverse as it could or should be. A particular challenge
facing the transport sector is increasing the female proportion of the
workforce. Women represent just 20% of the rail industry as a whole and just
4.4% of railway engineering. These figures refl ect the wider issue
in engineering, with only 6% of the current engineering workforce
made up of women.
A significant opportunity exists to capture more talented
engineers by focused effort on ‘women returners’. This does,
however, require a rethink in attitudes with recruiters and line
managers as well as reviewing the quality of working
environments to meet the demands of a diverse workforce.
Ex-military personnel
Following the UK Defence Review 2013, the regular army
is reducing from 102,000 to 82,000 by 2020. This
provides the transport sector with an opportunity to
attract a significant proportion of highly trained soldiers,
officers and engineers. A new career in transport, would
allow this unique talent pool to use its extensive training
and transferable skills.
Training and employment of
ex-offenders
There are some charities that help with work experience and
employment for offenders at the end of their sentences using the
skills developed both in custody and on release. This can be a big
opportunity for the construction industry. In fact, some construction
companies are ex-offender friendly employers already. There are many
UK employers who not only employ ex-offenders, but actively recruit them via
both workshops in prisons and direct applications.
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