23.09.19
Get into Railway celebrates five years and £1.6m success
The formidable partnership between Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and The Prince’s Trust have announced today (23 September) that their Get into Railway training programme has generated £1.6m since it was set up in 2014.
GTR, the UK’s largest rail operator, funded the project and enlisted the help of young people charity, The Prince’s Trust, to deliver it to the right people.
Which is exactly what they did.
They have revealed today as part of GTR’s Social Impact Report that £1.6m of social benefit has gone into the UK society in five years.
The programme focussed on people aged 18-25 and since it started in 2014 has helped 182 people gain the skills and experience needed to make a successful career in rail.
Get into Railways has reinvented the traditional approach to recruitment. The programme takes four weeks to complete and is a mix of classroom and field-based learning.
Of the 182 young people, 164 of them have completed the course and secured sustainable, permanent jobs in the GTR network which covers Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express.
Further to the current success, the report also confirms a further two years of the pioneering scheme, committing to training at least 70 more young people and setting them up with a career.
Chief executive officer of Govia Thameslink Railway, Patrick Verwer, said: “We believe young people should have fair opportunities in life regardless of background or the barriers they may face.
“Get into Railways is helping us reach our shared goals: to enable young people to secure jobs and be active players in the economy.
“The scheme has helped hundreds of young people boost their confidence and inspired them to build a future, for themselves and for their families. It is hard not to feel an immense sense of pride in what we have achieved.”