Member Article

‘Women in demand’ as Go North East launch 300 job recruitment drive

The region’s largest bus operator, Go North East, has launched a major recruitment campaign to find 300 new drivers and women with customer service experience are in particular demand.

Go North East is targeting females in an effort to balance its male dominated workforce. Only 8% of the company’s 1,600 drivers are women and the firm believes this is largely down to misconceptions that driving a bus is difficult and that bus driving is a man’s job.

The firm, which employs 2,100 people, has taken a fresh approach to recruitment and anyone applying for a job needs to have a flair for customer service and does not require any professional driving experience.

The firm provides free, fully-paid bus driver training to gain a Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) licence. Only a clean driving licence that has been held for at least 12 months is reportedlyrequired.

Kevin Carr, managing director at Go North East, said: “Women are significantly under-represented in our workforce so we are really keen to get more women drivers on board. If you are looking for a change in career and would like to break away from an office or retail job and get out and about on the roads with us, come and have a go at driving a bus, you might surprise yourself.

“There are plenty of career progression opportunities and we offer a company pension and free bus travel for drivers and their families.”

Graduate, Rachel Langford, 30, from Lanchester in County Durham, has been driving buses for four years after getting tired of being stuck behind a desk all day. She said: “After university, I went into the travel industry but the pay wasn’t very good. I had admin jobs in travel and in the Police but I was stuck behind a desk and I was bored of the same old paper work every day.

“I saw that Go North East was recruiting drivers for its Consett depot and I thought ‘I could do that’ but people were saying to me ‘are you sure you want to do that?’ But when you see the size of me, you’d know whythey were saying that – I’m only five foot, three, and really petite. But because people were telling me I couldn’t do it, it made me determined to prove I could.

“I enjoy being out and about and meeting people. Every day’s different and I love that. Women may be concerned about working in a male dominated environment but I have made some of my best friends at work and all my colleagues have been very welcoming and helpful.”