East Midlands Railway (EMR) has launched a recruitment drive in a bid to to attract apprentice train drivers from across Gedling borough to its team.
The train operating company is keen to encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for the roles – which will be based at its depots in Nottingham and Derby.
The apprenticeship scheme is open to people aged 21 and above and involves a 12-month programme that blends theory and practical work in the classroom with practical skills development – such as; cab rides and signal box visits.
Successful applicants will have access to world-class facilities at EMR’s training academy where classroom learning is underpinned by state-of-the-art Virtual Reality (VR) that replicates real life railway situations.
EMR also has a cab simulator so apprentices can learn about train driving in a variety of different circumstances and conditions within a safe environment.
Paul Griffin, head of drivers for EMR, started working on the railway in 1995, he said: “The role of a Train Driver is unique and challenging, but it is rewarding.
“I have worked in many roles within the Driver function, from a Driver on Central Trains to a Driver Mentor and Depot Manager. I have been in my current role as Head of Drivers since August 2019.”
Kate Holden, HR Director for EMR said: “At EMR, we currently employ just over 600 drivers and to fulfil our fleet rollout, we need drivers to operate the trains across the network.
“One of our major challenges is encouraging a more diverse driving workforce. We’ve been working to increase the number of females applying for our driver roles, with open evenings aimed specifically at women, as well as tackling the unconscious bias through blind screening.
“We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and ages and we’d urge anybody interested in a career in any of these driver roles to check out our website.”
Closing date for applicants is Sunday, November 28 2021.
