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Top Insider Advice
I have been on the railway for nearly 7 years now and I can truly say it's never been boring. There is a true family atmosphere and everyone looks after each other. The Railway has changed a great deal in the last few years and is still changing now, it's modernising and evolving all the time. It's an exciting time for our particular company, in that we have just been awarded a 9 year contract, we are a new fresh brand, we have new trains arriving and our inherited fleet of trains are coming to the end of an exciting major refurbishment programme. Everyone is accepted and Equality and Diversity is a major factor of everyday work.
Career path
Resources Operations Controller, Avanti West Coast
FirstGroup
From 06/2017 to 04/2024Company
What do you like about your job and the company?
Working with the general public, there is never a dull day. I am always alert and have to be ready for any situation that may arise. I regularly have to deal with: Emergency First Aid Situations Train Failures & Defects Train to Train Evacuations Major Disruption Conflict Situations
Greatest achievements
I have always had a passion for LGBTQ+ Equality and Inclusion. I have worked on two major projects involving our Pride Train, aptly named Progress. I was involved with the initial designs and launch of Progress and then presented a business case to members of our Exec Team, to take Progress to a whole new level and have the interior reflect the exterior design and use the interior as a talking and education piece. We designed the interior with information showcasing our Charity Partners, there's very bold information regarding Hate Crime and lots of educational pieces about the LGBTQ+ Community.
Libby S
Top Insider Advice
Try to figure out what you want and then make decision makers for those roles aware of your aspirations and why you think it would be good for both FirstGroup and you. I kept in touch with the network I established regularly – both to understand what was happening across the division but also to get an understanding of opportunities that might be available. I got my Greyhound role by repeatedly nudging the then Chief Financial Officer that it would be great for development and knowledge sharing if we could do more overseas secondments.
Alice O
Top Insider Advice
The only way to learn how to do a job is to ask questions from those around you. No question is a silly question. Also putting yourself out there asking questions, getting your voice heard helps establish your presence within an organisation and can help you progress your career further
Christopher G
Top Insider Advice
Experiencing new things will broaden your horizon and give you things to talk about. This is really useful for life experiences and for discussions at interviews when the time is right to move on. Seek out new opportunities to meet new people and take part in exciting and innovative new projects. Want to try something different from your day job and see if you like it first? Why not do some shadowing or grab the opportunity to go on secondment within the business you're working in? With a secondment this is ideal as it means your original position will be waiting for you if, and when, you decide to return. You never know, a secondment may lead to new doors opening that you never thought about previously!