Community Rail Lancashire offers a huge thank you to Arriva Rail North (Northern) for their support with our Railway Confidence Employment Experience.
CRL has just finished their Railway Confidence Employment Experience (RCEE) programme for this academic year; a programme which provides young people aged 15+ an employment experience to assist them in considering rail and community rail career options. For the future equality, diversity and inclusion of both rail and community rail, it is vital that all young people are given the opportunity to have positive experiences within the industry.
It has been a great success and the young people who have taken part have had an amazing new life experience. We are looking forward to continuing this success with the next groups when school starts again in September, as well as expanding this offer out to other Northern locations!
Working in close partnership with fantastic staff members from Northern and British Transport Police, the young people travel to a key station location by train, and meet rail staff from a range of sectors within the industry. They are given the opportunity to understand the roles, to experience some of the responsibilities within the roles and to ask any questions they might have about rail employment. They also have the opportunity to learn about community rail roles and activities, and complete a wide range of skills-based activities. They finish the day with a certificate for their record of achievement; a key part of recognising their learning.
Following the RCEE, 93% of participants said they would consider applying for a job in rail or community rail, with a 99% score of full marks (10/10) for enjoyment, excitement and usefulness. One student participant said the session was, “Actually brilliant, can’t fault it. Please, when I have left college, I would love to work for Northern.” Another participant commented; “I found it very interesting and fun and excellent, brilliant and fantastic! I think it would help me get a job when I’, older.”
The RCEE has had a 100% uptake rate with all schools contacted; word of mouth and promotion by teachers across school cluster groups has enabled both programmes to spread rapidly, especially within Lancashire.
The young people involved are able to develop skills and strategies for use of and employment within rail and community rail. Into the future, with a staff member now hired within CRL specifically for our Railway Confidence and Employment Programmes from September, we look forward to engaging with many more SEND pupils in the next academic year and the years to come; enabling increasingly diverse rail and community rail industries.