The Railway Confidence Employment Experience gives young people with special educational needs and disabilities the opportunity to experience rail employment.

We are delighted that The Railway Confidence Programmes took first place in the ‘Involving Diverse Groups’ category at the 2018 Community Rail Awards, and ‘Most Creative Project’ at the 2019 National Autistic Society’s Professionals Awards!

Working in partnership with Northern, the young people travel to a key station location by train, and meet rail staff from a range of sectors within the industry. They are given the opportunity to understand the roles, to experience some of the responsibilities within the roles and to ask any questions they might have about rail employment.

They also complete a range of activities to assess their skills, and to match these skills to a particular role or roles that they would be suited to, as well as ones which they would find exciting.

Group sizes are limited to a maximum of four participants at a time, to ensure they are able to experience the full benefits of their time with the rail staff members.

The programme was also featured by the National Autistic Society; My World Resource

And in the 2018 tackling loneliness strategy (page 41); Loneliness Strategy