Greater Anglia has reopened applications for its ‘First Step into Rail’ programme, a three-week initiative aimed at helping young people develop workplace skills and gain a close-up view of careers across the rail industry. The scheme, now entering its second year, is open to ten candidates aged 18 to 25 who are not currently in work, education or training.

The operator, which serves routes from London Liverpool Street into Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, is looking for applicants with strong communication skills and a desire to learn. Successful participants will build a toolkit of transferable abilities designed to support future employment, whether within the railway or elsewhere.

During the placement, candidates will shadow Customer Service teams at stations and receive structured classroom training provided by Central Training Group. Sessions will cover confidence-building, self-awareness, time management, unconscious bias, prejudice and discrimination awareness, and communication techniques. They will also explore conflict management, handling complaints and dealing with challenging behaviour, complementing time spent with customer service, engineering and train service delivery teams for a rounded introduction to the industry.

Applications are open until Sunday 14 December. Those selected will spend two days a week at Greater Anglia’s Stratford headquarters for training and three days gaining experience at stations across the network. Although the placement is unpaid, travel expenses are covered and free travel on Greater Anglia services is provided.

Viktorija Starling, Greater Anglia’s Early Careers and Apprenticeship Manager, said:

“We are excited to be offering the ‘First Step into Rail’ scheme again, following a successful first year in 2024. The scheme has been designed to give attendees valuable skills, giving young people who are keen to learn an insight into working on the railway at our HQ and stations. This will open a huge array of opportunities for candidates to use after completing the programme.”

Sarah Ludlow, Director of Business Training & Quality at Central Training Group, said:

“We are proud to team up with Greater Anglia and continue to play our part in teaching candidates on the scheme vital skills for any workplace, but particularly the railway, where communication and teamwork is so vital. We wish all those applying good luck.”

Previous participant Rafael Stevens said:

"The scheme helped me to gain skills that I could use in my CV and the workplace, opening up a huge array of opportunities for future employability. The programme built my confidence and gave me a real insight into what life is like on the railway. It was worth completing and has ultimately helped me secure a permanent role at Greater Anglia.”

Image: Greater Anglia