ScotRail has celebrated Scottish Careers Week with a spotlight on early careers, welcoming the largest-ever intake of apprentices and graduates to Scotland’s Railway.
The milestone was marked on Thursday 13 November when Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop visited ScotRail’s Shields Depot in Glasgow to meet apprentices, graduates and training staff.
Her visit offered a close look at ScotRail’s expanding early careers programme, which now supports 93 apprentices and graduates across the business following the arrival of 50 new starts this year.
The company says the growth reflects a long-term commitment to opening doors for people at every stage of their working lives and building a workforce that better reflects the communities Scotland’s Railway serves.
Opportunities are designed to be accessible to school leavers, college and university students, and existing staff who want to upskill or retrain.
Roles span engineering, customer service, finance, administration, commercial operations and communications, with each participant receiving hands-on experience, structured mentoring and formal qualifications.
Fiona Hyslop said Careers Week offered a valuable chance to highlight the breadth of opportunities across the railway.
“I am pleased to mark Scottish Careers Week as it provides a genuine opportunity to showcase the variety of different industry sectors in Scotland and particularly the broad range of fantastic careers across Scotland’s Railway for people of all ages,” she said.
“ScotRail now has more apprentices than ever and that is a sign of commitment across government and the industry to develop skills and talent.
“It’s great to meet with many young people at the start of their railway careers and to hear from employers and training organisations who will help steer the careers of future industry leaders.”
Julie Dale, ScotRail’s HR Director, said this year’s intake was an investment not just in staff, but in the long-term future of Scotland’s railway network.
“We’re incredibly proud to have welcomed our largest-ever intake of apprentices and graduates in 2025,” she said.
“Our early careers programmes offer a fantastic route into the industry, with each new start bringing fresh energy, ideas and ambition to our business.
“We’re working hard to break down barriers and expand access to opportunities right across Scotland, and we’re committed to nurturing the next generation of engineers, customer service colleagues and business professionals.”
ScotRail says it will continue building its early careers pathway in the coming years, aiming to create more entry points for people of all backgrounds as the rail industry evolves.
