Efforts to open up more careers in the rail sector to young
people could improve the reliability of rail services under a new
proposal being put forward today (16 March 2024).
If agreed, new regulations lowering the minimum age for train
drivers from 20 to 18 could be in place as early as the summer,
helping set thousands of young people on track to a career in
transport upon leaving school.
The proposal would build resilience across the railway by
creating a new pathway for school leavers to take up
apprenticeships and train to join the profession. With many train
drivers set to retire in the next 5 years and the average age of
a train driver being 48 years old, the workforce is projected to
shrink without opening up more opportunities for new
recruits.
Attracting more drivers would help the industry deliver
better for customers by providing a more reliable
service when staff are off sick or on annual leave. Opening
up the sector to young people could therefore be a positive step
and benefit passengers directly through the better reliability of
services.
This is part of wider government plans to create more
opportunities for young people to gain the skills they need to
succeed while generating more jobs leading to a productive,
high-skilled economy.
Rail Minister, , said:
We want to open the door for young people considering transport
as a career, and this proposal could give school-leavers a clear
path into the sector.
By boosting age diversity in the sector and attracting more
drivers, we can help support reliable services while creating
opportunities for more young people
The number of young people entering the industry remains
relatively low. Lowering the minimum age for people to start
their train driving careers from 20 to 18 would give more choices
to people leaving school or college and looking for their next
step, as well as encouraging more diversity in the workforce.
Jaqueline Starr, Chief Executive Officer at Rail Delivery Group,
said:
Our railways play a vital role connecting people and communities.
Working as a train driver is an incredible career opportunity,
and we want to open the door to encourage a wider pool of young
people to apply.
These proposed changes will help us to recruit the next
generation of drivers, lowering the average age of the workforce,
and helping to ensure a resilient railway for our customers
Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive for Rail Partners, said:
Taking forward these proposals would meet a long-standing
aspiration for the industry which would have a positive impact on
getting more young people into the railway.
With driver shortages and an ageing workforce, it is critical to
secure the skills we need for the long-term to help improve
reliability for the customer. By lowering minimum age
requirements for train drivers, working on the railways should be
seen as a more attractive career choice for school leaders,
including those from diverse backgrounds.
If the proposals are introduced, all prospective train drivers
will continue to be held to the same stringent training
requirements as before to ensure the safe use of our railways for
everyone. To become a licensed train driver, trainees must pass
mandatory medical, psychological, fitness and general
professional competence examinations and be trained by their
employer on the infrastructure and rolling stock they will be
deployed on.
All train drivers are subject to continuous training, monitoring
and supervision as part of meeting their licence and certificate
conditions, and the consultation will seek views on how the
processes for selecting, training, monitoring and supervising
younger train drivers could be adapted to support a potential
change in the minimum age.
The department will continue to work closely with industry and
the Office of Rail and Road to improve recruitment, resilience
and passenger experience.
This proposal comes as part of government's move to reform our
laws following the UK's withdrawal from the EU, using powers
under the Retained EU Law (Reform and Revocation) Act 2023, to
support the country's rail industry.
The lowering the minimum age
requirement for train drivers from 20 to 18 consultation
opens today (16 May 2024) and closes on 13 June 2024.
