“Kickstart has enabled us to give young people a much-needed step up in the career world”

In September 2020, the UK government launched the Kickstart Scheme, with the aim of helping young people – aged 16-24 – across the country develop new skills, build confidence in the workplace, and crucially take their first steps on the career ladder.

Ultimately, the goal was to provide a springboard to help secure permanent jobs.

The scheme – targeted at those receiving Universal Credit – has helped 100,000 young people enter the word of work. At GTR, we understand the vital need to increase the talent pool of young people in the rail industry and make sure we are upskilling the next generation.

We want to reach the best talent across our communities and those who may struggle to gain experience in the current economic climate.

We were eager to take part in the government-backed Kickstart Scheme to reach those who are most at risk of long-term unemployment.

We’re proud to have seen 22 young people through the programme with us, taking up a wealth of roles including: customer experience, events and tourism, franchise management, marketing and engineering.

We recognise the challenges facing the younger generation of today, which is why we develop initiatives specifically targeting this audience.

GTR has been ahead of the rail industry in supporting the government’s agenda to tackle marginalised and left behind communities with its ‘Get into Railways’ programme in partnership with The Prince’s Trust and a dedicated Sector-based Work Academy Programme launched last year with East Sussex College.

Building talent pools for the future is a vital practice in any industry, but especially in the UK rail sector where there is more to be done to showcase the diverse selection of roles on offer.

Kickstart has enabled us to give young people the chance to gain hands-on experience in the railway, giving them a much-needed step up in the career world.