Transport for Wales (TfW) are progressing the narrative of female empowerment within the rail sector, encouraging them to maximise their potential within the industry through the launch of an innovative new Welsh Hub after partnering with Women in Transport.
This Welsh Hub will investigate how the current female workforce can be supported and encourage the sector to find new ways of recruiting women into the traditionally male dominated arena through removing existing social barriers.
The need for this action and partnership is validated through recent statistics that reveal the significant gender workforce gap within UK transport jobs, with women making up only 20% of the current roles throughout Wales.
The Minister for Climate Change, Julie James said:
“There is a high demand for people to work in the transport and logistics sector. On average around 4,500 job vacancies in transport and logistics are posted online each month in Wales. It is therefore remarkable that women only make up 20% of the workforce. That is why I am pleased we have been able to sponsor this piece of work which looks at the barriers and challenges facing women entering the workforce and how they can be overcome.”
As part of the launch, Welsh Government has funded research that was carried out by Chwarae Teg to map out where women are working in the transport sector in Wales and to understand their experiences.
When digging deeper into the research, it is clear that women are sizeably under-represented in the occupational groups that can be traditionally associated with men, such as engineering, vehicular maintenance, and driver roles. The progressive partnership with TfW and Women in Transport will utilise the collated data around this topic to inform their decision-making processes that can then conduct the positive change that the rail sector is crying out for.
Jo Foxall, Customer Engagement Director at Transport for Wales and Wales Lead for Women in Transport added:
“It’s been great to launch the Wales Hub for Women in Transport and to see so many people attend and support the event.
“At Transport for Wales, we’re building an inclusive and diverse workforce and we recognise that our public transport network needs to cater for the diverse public and be inclusive for all.
“I’ve worked in the transport sector for 18 years and I’m extremely passionate about encouraging more women to take up roles within the transport sector in both traditionally male front line roles as well as more leadership and decision-making positions.”
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