By Ganymede
Inspiring Young People About Careers in Rail
Natasha Higgins, a seasoned recruiter with over 20 years’ experience specialising in careers in the rail sector at Ganymede, recently volunteered at a Careers Day for Year 8 students at her local secondary school. Her goal was clear: to introduce children aged 12 to 13 to the diverse and rewarding career opportunities in the rail industry.
Why Rail Careers Matter for Young People
“Having recruited in this sector for two decades, I have witnessed first hand how people can build impressive careers, starting from apprenticeships and progressing all the way to senior management roles,” Natasha explains. “I felt it was really important to highlight rail as a viable and stable career path, especially at this stage before they choose their GCSE subjects in Year 9.”
Natasha’s motivation was personal as well as professional. Her own son is in Year 8 and already has a solid understanding of the rail industry although, as she jokes, “he does not really have a choice!” But Natasha questioned whether all children have the same awareness, which inspired her to volunteer.
Engaging Students with Careers in Rail
Natasha began by asking what the children thought of when they heard “rail sector” and which jobs they associated with it. Most immediately mentioned train drivers or ticket staff.
“I also asked about their favourite school subjects,” she says. “That was a great way to connect their interests with the wide variety of roles in the rail industry.”
Exploring Career Opportunities in the Rail Sector
Natasha then explained that the rail sector is much more than just trains and stations. She introduced the students to many different areas involved: track maintenance, overhead line equipment (OLE), signalling, stations, bridges, and rolling stock. She emphasised that everything seen and used on the rail network is designed, built, and maintained by skilled professionals.
Passion and Interests Spark Questions About Rail Sector Jobs
One of the highlights was seeing some children express a genuine passion for safety on the rail network. Natasha took the opportunity to explain the critical importance of health and safety roles. Another child showed interest in caring for the environment and animals, leading Natasha to talk about the work of ecologists and environmental professionals within the sector.
Questions flowed freely, particularly about how to enter the rail industry from apprenticeships to degree level roles and the kinds of companies that hire for these positions.
Opening Minds to New Rail Sector Possibilities
“It was fantastic to watch the children start to think of the rail sector as so much more than just trains,” Natasha reflects. “I felt I really opened their minds to the broad range of design and technical careers available.”
Interactive Learning with Ganymede’s Routes in Rail System
To make the experience even more engaging, the children used Ganymede’s “Routes in Rail” interactive presentation, which helps young people match their interests such as computers or IT with career paths within the rail sector. Natasha noted how this tool helped children see how their favourite subjects relate directly to rail careers.
The Assistant Head teacher of the school said:
Thank you so much for attending our schools careers carousel on Friday. The pupils really enjoyed it and have been talking about what they have found out and some have become interested in an area for future job opportunities from this event, so thank you for inspiring our pupils.
As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting local schools and inspiring young people, we look forward to running more Careers Day sessions like this one in the coming months. If you know of a school that would benefit from a visit by Ganymede and our team of recruitment experts to explore career opportunities in the rail sector and beyond, please get in touch using the form below.