The Deputy Minister for Transport, Mark Hooper, met Marie Daly, chief operating officer (COO) at Transport for Wales and Chair of Women in Rail, earlier this month, to hear about the progress being made to recruit and retain women in the transport sector in Wales. The meeting comes as figures continue to show women are under-represented in the sector.
Transport for Wales research has found women make up only 20% of Wales’s Transport and Communications workforce, falling to just 6.7% among transport and mobile machine drivers and operators, with particularly low representation among drivers, engineers and vehicle maintenance staff.
There are signs of progress, however. The number of female Transport for Wales train drivers rose from 54 to 76 between 2022 and 2023, taking women’s representation among drivers from 7.4% to 9.3%, while the proportion of women among new Transport for Wales apprentices rose from 14.3% to 42.9% over the same period.
Chloe Thomas joined Transport for Wales over 11 years ago, starting her career as a maintenance apprentice. After completing her apprenticeship and achieving a first-class honours degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Chloe progressed from maintenance technician to fleet support engineer, and now works as an Assurance Engineer primarily looking after the Class 398 Fleet.
Throughout her career, Chloe has led and supported a range of high-impact projects, including leading the trial of a new signalling system on the Heart of Wales Line. Chloe has also been supporting from an engineering and assurance perspective for the introduction of new trains across the network.
In 2022, Chloe was named Rail Engineer of the Year at the Rail Staff Awards, adding to a journey that began when she became the first female apprentice ever to work at Transport for Wales’s Canton depot in Cardiff.
More recently, Chloe established Women in Fleet group, an initiative designed to bring women from across the fleet sector together.
She said: “Over the last 11 years, I’ve been part of a huge amount of change at Transport for Wales. That hasn’t just been reflected in my own career progression, but also in the culture of the business.
“Since starting Women in Fleet group just last year, the group has grown to more than 30 women. We’ve already helped deliver a significant overhaul of the facilities at Canton Depot, with improvements to the female facilities at Machynlleth depot also underway. We’ve also been working closely with the policy team to review and improve several workplace policies. It’s fantastic to see what we’ve achieved in such a short time, and I’m excited to see how the group continues to grow and make a positive difference for colleagues across the business.”
Women are increasingly taking up senior roles across the sector. As well as being COO at Transport for Wales, Marie Daly chairs Women in Rail, which works to improve diversity in the UK rail industry.
Marie said: “It was great to meet with the Deputy Minister to showcase the work we are doing to boost female representation across our workforce.
“While we are seeing real progress, women still account for just 20% of Wales’s transport and communications workforce.
“At Transport for Wales and through Women in Rail, we remain fully committed to breaking down barriers, inspiring the next generation, attracting diverse talent, and ensuring women see transport as a rewarding, long-term career.”
Other women holding senior roles in the sector include Natalie Britton, Operations Director at Milford Haven Port Authority, and Sarah West, Managing Director of Stena Line UK & Ireland Ports, who became the first woman to command a major UK warship during her 20-year career in the Royal Navy.
The Deputy Minister Mark Hooper, said: “I’m pleased to hear about the progress Transport for Wales are making in actively recruiting and retaining women into traditionally male jobs. I’m keen to understand what more we can do to support that progress.
“As we continue to develop and improve transport across Wales, inclusion, opportunity and culture change must be integral to that development, not an afterthought.”
The Welsh Government helped establish the Women in Transport Wales Hub in 2022 to support women already working in the sector, attract more women into the industry, and build a network for sharing good practice and professional development.
Transport for Wales is also working with trade unions to get more women into train driving and engineering, running recruitment events tailored to women, offering secondments with the Welsh Government, Network Rail and other operators and taking measures to make workplaces more inclusive.
Image credit: TfW
