The UK rail industry forecasts that up to 90,000 active rail workers will retire by 2030, with only 6.3% of the current workforce below the age of 25. These figures present a growing shortage of qualified rail professionals and with an average industry age of 44, as well as the demand for 7,000 – 12,000 new recruits every year, encouraging young workers to enter the industry is an urgent priority.
Coyle Personnel have recognised such concerns and it’s our responsibility as a distinguished provider of rail professionals to help support new rail entrants, especially those aged between 16-25. By breaking down the barriers to entry, providing accredited training, and offering real job opportunities, we hope to not only create value for our clients, but also benefit the communities that we operate within.
Investing in Early Careers
Over the past 12 months, we’ve continued to invest in early careers, surpassing our KVI.3 target by providing training to 44 individuals, 10 of whom were under the age of 25. This amounts to a total investment of £5,597.64 (£1,917.60 for those under-25s), and while focus is primarily on younger candidates, we view any new entrant into rail as a positive step towards addressing the industry’s skills shortage.
In 2024/25 alone, 13 new entrants went on to work with Coyle Personnel, delivering a combined total of 8,094.5 hours of work, that’s the equivalent of 4.38 FTEs. We’ve enjoyed real success in placing new people into the sector and of our newest recruits, who is just 22 years-old, shared his experience after transitioning from landscaping to a full-time role in rail:
“I heard about the opportunity through my mum, who also works in the industry. I completed my PTS and B1 & B2 training — some parts were challenging, but I felt well supported by supervisors and contractors. I’m now doing installation work, and I can feel myself improving. It’s a lot of hours and weekends, but I don’t mind it. I’d recommend this to someone else — it gives you real skills. My goal is to stay in the industry, build job security, and work my way up.”
The individual’s journey with Coyle Personnel positively reflects upon our approach to new entrants. We want to provide practical roles with the correct support that offer progression and are open to those from outside the industry. While we’ve been successful in training and placing new workers into the industry, our efforts to formalise this process through government-funded Skills Bootcamps have proven more difficult.
Trainee Skilled Track Operative Scheme
We received 43 applications to our Trainee Skilled Track Operative scheme, but unfortunately none of these candidates progressed to the enrolment stage. Our team are actively reviewing the reasons behind this applicant drop-off and Coyle Personnel’s focus for next year will be to work with colleges, employment charities and community groups to help source suitable candidates more effectively and ensure the correct support is there to guide them with their application.
We remain committed to expanding our workforce, particularly amongst new entrants and younger workers. When summarising the importance of new entrants into the rail industry, one of our managers stated:
“New entrants are the lifeblood of the railway. Without a pipeline of apprentices and trainees, the sector risks losing the knowledge and capability needed to maintain and renew the UK’s infrastructure. We’re proud to be part of the solution.”
By prioritising this issue and bringing new talent into the industry, Coyle Personnel is striving to protect the future sustainability of the UK rail network. We look forward to recruiting more new entrants over the coming year and providing them with the necessary training they require to excel in the industry.