Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week (9-15 February), Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has revealed a significant increase in the number of women starting an apprenticeship with the UK’s largest rail operator. A total of 420 new starters began an apprenticeship with GTR in 2025, with 106 new starters being female colleagues, representing an increase of 49% from the previous year.
In 2025, GTR saw the highest number of female applicants for its Team Leader / Supervisor apprenticeship in five years, revealing a growing interest in women looking to upskill and progress their careers. This came as the rail operator launched two new apprenticeship courses – Women in Leadership Level 3 and 5 – to help develop and empower future female leaders within the business, reflecting GTR’s commitment to create a diverse and inclusive workforce.
GTR has also exceeded its target of having a 20% female uptake across all apprenticeships, with the current figure standing at 27%. As well as more women taking on apprenticeships, the overall number of employees starting an apprenticeship has increased by 75% in the last five years – jumping from 240 new starters in 2021 to 420 in 2025.
One woman who is reaping the benefits of GTR’s apprenticeship programme is Natalie Parker, who is studying the Level 3 Women in Leadership: Team Leader apprenticeship to take her career to the next level. Natalie was sadly made redundant in 2019 after working in admin and accounts for 20 years, however she saw this as an opportunity to switch careers and applied for a five-week intensive course in property maintenance. Using her new trade skills, she successfully applied for her current role with GTR as a Skilled Maintenance Operative in 2020.
“The apprenticeship has been brilliant so far because we’ve covered a range of topics, such as project and team management, the importance of networking and developing presence and professionalism. My confidence has increased during the course, because I’ve learnt about why we experience self-doubt and how to manage it. This has been very helpful because growing up with dyslexia meant I always felt I wasn’t good enough, so this course has helped shift my mindset.”
GTR People Director Ruth Busby, said: “It’s fantastic to see more women are taking on apprenticeships to learn new skills and develop existing ones so they can unlock their full potential in the rail industry. Our people are at the heart of everything we do, therefore it’s vital we invest in a wide range of apprenticeships to attract, develop and retain talent. This is key to creating a diverse workforce which represents the communities we serve.”
Image credit: GTR
