Transport for the South East’s (TfSE) latest Digital Forum, Inclusive Transport – Career Opportunities for All in the Transport Sector, took place on the 14th of October.
The virtual event brought together a panel to talk about the disparity between men and women in the transport sector, why programmes to encourage more diversity aren’t having an immediate effect, and to explore positive steps that everyone can take moving forward.
The panel consisted of Jo Field, President of Women in Transport, Nkiruka Nzekwu, Vice-Chair of the Women’s Colleague Network Group at Transport for London, Katie Lamb, Lead Transport Planner at TfSE, and Sarah Valentine, Head of Analysis and Appraisal at TfSE.
Panellists agreed that the best way of increasing representation of women and ethnic minority groups in the transport sector was by engaging with young people and showcasing the variety of opportunities available to them.
Jo Field, President of Women in Transport said: ‘I was thrilled to be a part of Transport for the South East’s Digital Forum last month.
Myself and four other panellists discussed issues such as the divide between men and women in the transport sector and the lack of knowledge of available jobs and programmes.
It is incredibly important to recognise that the amount of transport sector roles is vast and there is something for everyone.
To encourage more women to join the workforce, we explored ideas such as visiting schools and college fairs to talk about transport sector jobs, work experience, and organisations that are similar to Women in Transport.
The forum was a great platform to talk about these issues. I look forward to seeing TfSE’s next steps towards making the transport sector more diverse. I hope the Transport Forum members were able to take something away from the event to inspire them in their own organisations.’
The Digital Forum was developed as part of TfSE’s commitment to its Transport Forum to conduct two in-person and two virtual events per year. A recording of the panel is now available on YouTube: Digital Forum: Inclusive Transport – Career Opportunities for All in the Transport Sector