Arriva Rail London (ARL) is one of 21 business and organisations that helped charity The Talent Foundry (TTF) to support and empower nearly 65,000 young people in 2024.

TTF increases social mobility by working in partnership with schools and industry to help young people from underserved communities develop valuable new employment skills and take the first step into the world of work.

Inspired by the charity’s mission, colleagues from ARL volunteered to support the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and TTF’s Track to the Future programme, focusing on engaging young people across the London Overground network. The initiative seeks to encourage students to begin a career in rail while simultaneously developing key transferable project management skills to aid their future career paths.

Jenni Anderson, Chief Executive at The Talent Foundry, said: “Partnering with ARL and RSSB to deliver the Track to the Future programme has been an incredible opportunity to inspire and equip the next generation of rail professionals. Through hands-on workshops and support from volunteers, together we’ve inspired young people from underserved communities to explore rail careers, develop their essential skills and build their confidence. This collaboration is helping to create a diverse, skilled workforce for the future.”

ARL’s environment, social value and governance (ESG) team collaborated with the revenue protection and security team to identify stations experiencing safety and welfare challenges, including trespass, ticketless travel and disengagement among young people. The ESG team then used this information to determine the most suitable locations for running the ‘Track to the Future’ programme, ensuring it targeted the areas that would benefit the most.

Over twenty volunteers from across ARL assisted a four-part mentoring programme exploring current issues in the rail industry, with sessions taking place both at the school and head office. In these sessions, students practiced and developed transferable teamwork, creativity, problem-solving, innovation and presentation skills. The final session saw students undertaking mock interviews, assessment centre activities and presenting their projects.

Shivani Hill, head of environment, social value and governance (ESG) at Arriva Rail London, said: “By looking at the bigger picture, we aim to create a positive and lasting impact – not just within the rail industry by inspiring the next generation, but also for the communities we serve by addressing local challenges. We hope that by giving students a different perspective of the railway, they will understand the important role their local station plays in their community and take pride in supporting it.”

“This programme has also been hugely enriching for our colleagues, providing them with valuable insights and fresh perspectives from working with young people.”

Following the success of this programme, ARL has committed to a further iteration of the programme with a school in Enfield, due to run from April to June 2025.