As students consider their next steps after receiving their GCSE results last week, a new option available to them is a career as a train driver thanks to government reforms.
Since new rules came into force this summer, 18-year-olds can now apply to be a train driver straight after school or college, without needing a degree or waiting before starting training. Before, only people aged 20 and over were able to train to become a train driver.
Currently, fewer than 4% of train drivers are under 30, with less 12% being women and a quarter of the current workforce hitting retirement age by 2030.
Around 1 million young people aged 16 to 24 are NEET - not in education, employment or training. Lowering the minimum age for train drivers provides young people with easier access to the rail industry, offering stability and good pay, backed by the government’s £2.5 billion investment to tackle youth unemployment.
Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said that this is a significant step forward, opening doors for young people wanting to move straight into the workplace, while also helping to secure the future of the passenger and freight sectors.
Train driver apprentices learn and earn on the job, learning skills that are always in demand and joining a critical industry which keeps the country moving.
With the majority of train operators now back in public ownership, the new generation of train drivers will be part of history as the government progresses with rail reforms through the Great British Railways - putting passengers and customers at the heart of the nation’s railways.
If you are interested in becoming a train driver after school or college, visit The Train Drivers Academy’s website to learn more and see vacancies.