Female apprentices: Rail operator sees 50% rise in numbers

A rail operator said it has seen a 50% increase in female apprentices in the past year.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said 60 of its 176 apprentice new starters in 2023 were female.

In 2022 the company had the highest number of female applicants for train driver roles in five years.

At the start of National Apprenticeship Week, GTR said the figures were a "positive reflection of rail becoming more inclusive".

GTR operates Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express.

According to the train drivers' union Aslef, less than 7% of train drivers in 2021 were women.

"This is far from reflective of the communities that the railways serve," Aslef says on its website.

In September, Network Rail launched a campaign to persuade more women in the South East to follow careers in the rail industry.

Wioletta Kuszyk, from Charlton, south-east London, went from being a chef to a train driver last year.

She said: "The GTR apprenticeship was a great introduction to the industry - it gave me all the skills and support I needed."

Mariana Cevallos, from Edenbridge, Kent, works in human resources for GTR and recently completed a technical apprenticeship.

She said: "I wanted to take on this apprenticeship as I felt some of my IT knowledge was outdated.

"I'm now much more confident when it comes to presenting my work to my team."

David Jackson, from GTR, said: "It's great to see more women taking on apprenticeships and benefitting from further education at no cost."

National Apprenticeship Week runs until 11 February.

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