Career Progression in the Rail Industry: A Typical Journey

Career progression in the rail industry is guaranteed. The more the rail industry develops, the higher the demand is for skilled workers from all backgrounds. Career progression is essential for your self-worth but it’s also an essential part of the rail industry. Careers aren’t stagnant in rail, they’re growing, they’re challenging and they’re exciting.

The rail industry is looking for skilled workers who have a passion for development and want to grow with the innovations of the industry. If the rail industry didn’t prioritise self-development, safety and quality levels would suffer. The more skilled that workers are, the more successful the rail industry will be.

In this post, we’re going to cover all you need to know about career progression in the rail industry. What career progression is, why it’s important, the development opportunities in the rail industry and more. 

We’ll cover: 

What Is Career Progression?

Career progression involves developing your skillset, trying out new challenges, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and making the most out of your career. Career progression is developed over time and can be impacted positively or negatively. 

There are many aspects that contribute to better career progression including training and development, networking, work experience, simply asking your employer for opportunities and seeking opportunities yourself in various fields. Career progression offers nothing but new opportunities and benefits and it certainly shouldn’t be pushed to the side – if you’re wanting to go places, the rail industry guarantees it.

Why Is Career Progression Important?

Career progression is not only important for improving the standards of the rail network and the rail industry but career progression is essential for every individual who wants to succeed and live a fulfilling life and career. Many individuals leave their current roles because of the lack of development opportunities available. If you’re not developing in your existing career then you’re wasting your time. It can be boring, you may lack self-worth and your job will become more of a chore rather than a passion.

Career progression provides a sense of self-worth and helps contribute to the rail industry positively. If you enjoy the job you’re doing and you know you’re developing and succeeding, naturally, your stress levels will be minimal. Also, career development brings exciting new opportunities, it brings additional knowledge and it allows individuals to discover new specialist areas. The benefits of career development are incredible and in the rail industry, there are many ways you can progress and develop your career.

career progression

Rail Industry Development Opportunities

With future expansions, upgrades and rail developments planned for the rail industry there’s always going to be areas you can develop in. Whether you choose to develop in one area of the industry or expand your knowledge in a variety of areas, you’ll be spoilt for choice.

A skilled career can be promised in the rail industry. Once you’ve completed your training, you’ll soon be on your way to securing a role depending on the opportunities available at that time. Here we’ve listed some of the jobs available in the rail industry and what they entail as well as the progressive opportunities available.

Civil Engineering

This role deals with the delivery and operation of the transport infrastructure. This area of the industry is challenging but it’s very rewarding. It offers travel opportunities and it’s a hands-on job. In this role, you could go from being a civil engineer to a project management role. You could become a consultant, work overseas with oil and mining companies or even, over time, work internationally. If you like to travel, this job role can offer that option.

Signalling Technician

Signalling technicians maintain and repair rail telecommunications. They ensure signals work efficiently and safely for the rail network. They help with delays and ensure that trains can move around the network correctly. With experience and additional training, in this role, you can move from junior to a senior technician and take on additional team leading responsibilities. With higher qualifications and experience you could also become a signalling designer or incident investigator. If you love variety, then this role is the perfect one to choose. 

Operations

This role offers a different challenge each day. If you work in operations, you’ll be a fundamental part of the railway network. You’ll help various teams and departments work effectively and safely, have a close attention to detail and thrive off working in a team environment. With experience, you could be promoted to supervisor or team leader. With further training and qualifications, you could become a track inspector, engineering technician, track designer or manager.

Development and Training Is Guaranteed

There are masses of opportunities coming to the rail industry in the next 10 years. Including the HS2 upgrade, The Transpennine Upgrade and the increase of daily journeys taken across the rail network. With the demand of the travel industry increasing, the need for more skilled workers is higher than ever. The need for skills will take its first peak in 2025, this is great news if you’re wanting to get your career on track, develop your skills and succeed in this exciting industry.

The rail network needs to be reliable, safe and work efficiently every single day. With over 20,000 passenger services a day, the reliability of the rail is absolutely essential. With the need for reliability also comes incredible outcomes, development opportunities and more. Candidates who are willing to learn and grow with the industry will naturally succeed.

The rail industry is essential to Britain’s economy and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. The development of the rail industry and infrastructure is essential and it’ll always be prioritised no matter what. This industry is going places and if you’re wanting to be a part of it, then you need to be willing to work hard to keep up with everything. Whether it’s new technology, new developments or contributing to the future of the rail.

But it’s not boring, it’s far from it! It’s exciting, innovative and having a job in the rail industry will be contributing to a wider purpose. The more skilled you become, the higher up in the rail industry you’ll be. All of the skills and experience you bring with you and learn on the way won’t be wasted. Knowledge is appreciated, experience is admired and even if you’re new to your career, this industry welcomes people from all backgrounds.

Start Your Career In Rail Today

If you’re looking for a rewarding career that offers multiple opportunities throughout your career, then you’re definitely in the right place. If you’re keen to speak with some experts about the rail industry in more detail and you want to explore the training opportunities available to you, don’t look any further. Get in touch with us today and get all of your questions answered.

Alternatively, if you want to explore the rail industry in-depth, understand all of the training opportunities available and more – download a copy of our FREE Ebook and learn everything you need to know about this exciting industry.

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Does a career in the rail industry sound appealing to you? Do you think you’ve got what it takes? If you’re unsure – don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We’ve outlined useful tips and attributes the ideal candidate needs to succeed. Download your free copy today!