Dozens of new jobs created at Northern to get more BAME people and women working for them

Northern says it is trying to get more women, Black and minority ethnic (BAME) and young people on board its trains in a bid to boost representation.

The new job roles come as the operator, which was stripped of its franchise earlier this year, launches a campaign encouraging people from non-white backgrounds and more women applying for roles such as train drivers, conductors and engineers.

Neil Stephenson, head of learning and talent at Northern, said: “Northern has many career opportunities and last year alone we had nearly 54,000 applications for 600 vacancies.

“As an industry we are keen to deliver a diverse workforce that represents the communities we serve and attract the next generation to rail. Northern has made progress over the past few years and there is more work to do and Be Northern is another step towards building an inclusive workforce.

“We are working with new and diverse partners and the message we are sending out to prospective employees is that, whoever they are and whatever their background, they can trust that Northern is a great place to work and a great place to forge a career.”

Northern operates trains across Yorkshire, the North West and North East, and was taken back into public ownership following an announcement by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in January.

The decision came following months of cancellations and delays, with a service described by Mr Shapps as "completely unacceptable".

Brian Currie, people director at Northern, said: “Northern has built an exciting plan for the future and this includes providing more jobs to help boost the economy in the north of England.

"At this time of uncertainty, we’re pleased to be able to offer these roles in the north.”

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