Train operator Northern is encouraging ex-service personnel to consider transferring their skills to a career on the railway.
Skills and experience developed in the services are invaluable for a range of roles on the railway.
To show what roles are on offer, earlier this week members of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) and The Royal Yorkshire Regiment visited Leeds station and Neville Hill TrainCare Centre.
![Northern staff in uniform](https://www.railadvent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Image-shows-Northern-staff-in-uniform_cropped-1-750x422.jpg)
During their visits. They met Northern staff working in operational and engineering roles, who explained what it takes to keep trains running for thousands of passengers. That was followed by a talk explaining the career opportunities available.
This is not the first time that Northern has opened its doors to military personnel.
It regularly encourages people who have served in the armed forces or are currently reservists to join the company, as their skills and experience are ideally suited to the jobs on offer.
In 2021, Northern committed the company to support veterans and recognise military skills and qualifications across its business by signing the Armed Forces Covenant; it also pledged to support Armed Forces on Remembrance Day
![Northern train conductor. // Credit: Northern conductor](https://www.railadvent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Northern-conductor-750x422.jpg)
To support staff who have previously served in the military support staff with military experience, Northern has a dedicated Armed Forces Group.
Anyone who has either left or is in the process of leaving the armed forces is urged to register for job alerts on the Northern website at https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/careers, where they can use their skills and experience on the railway.
Northern finds that people who have previously served in the military often find it difficult to transition to civilian life.
Working on the railway provides the chance to join another close-knit team with a clear sense of purpose. It is a good fit with the military, as it requires disciplined, punctual, and resourceful people who work well under pressure and are prepared to go the extra mile to get the job done.
Someone who combines working for Northern with being an army reservist is Kate Towns who has been able to create a successful career whilst serving the forces.
![Kate Towns (L) with a colleague at Neville Hill depot](https://www.railadvent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/This-image-shows-Kate-Towns-L-with-a-colleague-at-Neville-Hill-depot_cropped-750x422.jpg)
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Last year, Northern had a target to recruit more than 300 drivers and conductors to join the 2,000 drivers and 1,400 conductors it currently employs.
“Those who have served in the military tend to be more disciplined, as they train people to understand and follow specific instructions to get things done. People in the military take responsibility and get on with the task safely, effectively, and efficiently. Given the purpose of the railways, as a critical transport service, it needs people with discipline, who are thorough and can follow instructions implicitly, to keep things running smoothly and safely for passengers. People from a lot of different regiments and corps would enjoy coming into this environment. It’s a good, friendly place to work, you have a lot of people who are ready to help you and the professionalism is amazing.”
Craig Lawley, who left the military in 2007 after serving with REME, and recently joined Northern as an engineering infrastructure asset manager.
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