Northern prioritises youth recruitment to achieve net zero by 2050

Credit: Northern

Northern, a prominent train operator in the UK, has emphasised the importance of attracting young talent to the rail industry as part of its strategy to achieve net zero operations by 2050. The company believes that the creativity, determination and fresh perspectives of young people will significantly contribute to its environmental goals.

To engage youth passionate about sustainability, Northern offers various entry points into the industry, including apprenticeship opportunities, ‘Year in Industry’ placements, and a graduate scheme. These programmes cover a broad range of departments such as engineering, operations, customer service, commercial and finance.

The next wave of recruitment is set to begin in Autumn 2024, with interested individuals encouraged to sign up for job alerts on the Northern website.

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This initiative comes as Northern marks International Youth Day, which this year focuses on ‘youth empowerment for a sustainable future.’

Lisa Leighton, People Director at Northern, said: “The rail industry is already making great strides to ensure it operates in the most efficient, innovative and inclusive way that it can. It’s important that we maintain that momentum and attracting young people to work in rail will be crucial to us delivering on our long-held ambition to achieve net zero operations by 2050. To support this, we have a range of programmes to help young people develop the business and role-specific skills that our industry’s future leaders will need.”

International Youth Day, observed annually on 12 August, is organised by the United Nations to celebrate the contributions of young people to society and promote their active engagement in building a sustainable future.