Train drivers "overwhelmingly white middle aged men"

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

Just reported on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page), as a white middle aged man I found it quite interesting!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-68921391

[a-driver]

Just reported on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page), as a white middle aged man I found it quite interesting!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-68921391

It annoys me to read these articles and see statements like “ Zoey Hudson, head of talent, diversity and inclusion at Southern railway, said recruitment methods had changed to enable a wider range of people to apply for jobs”.

TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)’s can solely advertise a role on their websites and attract thousands of applications, adverts should not be targeted at specific groups, you’re then making it all a box ticking exercise rather than just selecting the best people for the job.  It’s 2024, surely we all know that there’s no gender specific job roles anymore.
If you’re in a minority group and you’re successfully selected for a job, I’d want to have the satisfaction I got the job because of my abilities not because of who I am.  It’s taking away someone’s sense of achievement.  Just my opinion!

[IndustryInsider]

Just reported on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page), as a white middle aged man I found it quite interesting!

Get yer application in then! 

[Ralph Ayres]

It annoys me to read these articles and see statements like “ Zoey Hudson, head of talent, diversity and inclusion at Southern railway, said recruitment methods had changed to enable a wider range of people to apply for jobs”.

TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)’s can solely advertise a role on their websites and attract thousands of applications, adverts should not be targeted at specific groups, you’re then making it all a box ticking exercise rather than just selecting the best people for the job.  It’s 2024, surely we all know that there’s no gender specific job roles anymore.
If you’re in a minority group and you’re successfully selected for a job, I’d want to have the satisfaction I got the job because of my abilities not because of who I am.  It’s taking away someone’s sense of achievement.  Just my opinion!

I'm not sure that's what she is saying. Despite everything, some jobs can still be perceived as being for a particular gender, and adverts on the website will broadly only be looked at by people who already think it's a job for them unless they are drawn there by wider publicity, which might indeed be targeted at people who wouldn't initially have thought of it as a job for them. It's perhaps a shame the article didn't go into more detail of the methods they use, but it may start with simple things like not using a photo of a white middle-aged bloke on the job adverts. Further into the process it would be good for instance to be able to reassure female applicants that the facilities at a loo break location are now more than just a urinal!

[a-driver]

I'm not sure that's what she is saying. Despite everything, some jobs can still be perceived as being for a particular gender, and adverts on the website will broadly only be looked at by people who already think it's a job for them unless they are drawn there by wider publicity,

Wider publicity such as the “overpaid” label is generally enough to draw people in!

It's perhaps a shame the article didn't go into more detail of the methods they use, but it may start with simple things like not using a photo of a white middle-aged bloke on the job adverts.

That’s a fair comment.

Further into the process it would be good for instance to be able to reassure female applicants that the facilities at a loo break location are now more than just a urinal!

At some locations they’re even cleaned now!  Now there’s proper progress

[Chris from Nailsea]

Ollie, this includes you now.