‘Old-fashioned attitudes’ hinder transport recruitment, says DfT

Poor pay, unsocial hours and ‘old-fashioned attitudes’ are some of the barriers to recruitment across the entire transport industry.

That’s according to a new government report which, although it doesn’t reference any specific transport sector, features themes that apply to the rail industry. These include the poor image of transport and how this needs to be improved to have broader appeal.

The current wave of strikes is doing little to improve rail’s image, observers suggest.

There is also a need for greater careers outreach, as well as for science technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills to be encouraged for the future workforce.

As a result, the Department for Transport is charging its newly established Transport Employment and Skills Taskforce (TEST) to “identify and prioritise workstreams … focused on the interventions that are likely to have the most impact”.

The report follows a DfT consultation seeking views and ideas to inform future strategy.

Respondents agreed that there are perceptions that are hard to change, including that roles in transport are a ‘man’s job’ and involve physical, manual or ‘dirty’ work.