Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is welcoming five new female drivers ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March. The women have been employed through GTR’s partnership with coaching, consulting and networking organisation, Career Returners – a social enterprise that aims to remove the ‘Career Break Penalty’.
The two companies began working together in 2022 to find talent through an avenue dedicated to helping those on extended career breaks.
GTR added that people can fall out of long-term employment for a number of reasons, including childcare, stress, illness, or caring for elders.
Following an initial recruitment, testing and onboarding period, five women who discovered GTR through the Returners scheme were employed by the operator on a full-time basis and are now trainee drivers with Southern Rail.
Zoey Hudson, Head of Talent, Diversity and Inclusion at Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “We’re passionate about attracting the best talent, and we know this can’t be done through traditional avenues alone. It’s been a fantastic experience to be part of the Returners scheme and welcome five women to the business that had perhaps never even considered working in rail. The programme goes to show that just because someone has been out of employment for an extended time, they are no less determined or capable.”
Leigh Santamaria was a perfect candidate for the Returners programme, having been out of work for 10 years due to caring for her daughter who has significant learning difficulties. She said coming back to work after such a long gap was a huge change, but that the support she received through the Returners programme had been “invaluable”.
Leigh added: “My daughter is very vulnerable and will probably have to live with me for the rest of her life, so it felt right to pause my career and focus all my energy on her. Coming back to work after a 10-year break was a huge change, because I’d been out of the loop for so long. However, the support I’ve received through the Returners programme has been invaluable, which has made the transition so much easier.” Read Leigh’s case study here.
Elba Lovelace-Francis also faced a tough decision when it came to juggling work and raising a family. She was working in a betting shop and chose not to return after her maternity leave ended.
She explains: “It didn’t feel right to go back to work after my first baby as it would have been very long days where I wouldn’t get home until midnight. I’d looked into working in rail previously, but the timing was never right. I saw something on social media advertising the train driver vacancies through the Returners scheme. At this point I had been out of work for over a year, so the programme seemed perfect for me.”
With a tough application process, followed by assessment days and various stages of interviews, Elba says you have to be determined to see it through. She adds, “I will finish in the driving school at the end of March, and then I’ll be out driving trains for real under supervision. I can’t wait!” Read Elba’s case study here.
