Background

The public transport sector still has a large gender imbalance with a female employment rate of 22%. [1] To change this situation, numerous efforts are needed to attract women to job opportunities in the transport area, particularly with regard to technical professions. As in several EU countries, in Italy there are different initiatives to achieve this goal, most of which are launched by the transport companies.

Goal

Gender-balanced employment in the public transport sector through simplification of access for women to (technical) public transport jobs.

Measure

The Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group (Italian railway company) in collaboration with “Valore D” – an association of companies that promote diversity, talent and female leadership – is involved in the “WIM – Women in Motion” project. The aim is to educate and motivate female students to get out of the “stereotypes” and undertake alternative study paths to those that are today more “obvious” for them. The project involves the presence of the company in schools and universities to support a series of technical studies, to inform students about job perspectives and to provide the tools, such as motivation, skills and opportunities, to best realize their potential and talent. This path will be possible thanks to mentors: about 100 women who work in the technical areas of the company will meet female students to advise them on the course of study and their future work. One of the goals is to select a group of 10 women to be integrated in the training courses for technicians in the company laboratories. Moreover, with the new industrial plan the idea is to bring 8,000 women into railways within the next ten years.

Sources:

[1] Women in Transport – EU Platform for change https://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/social/women-transport-eu-platform-change_en

[2] Video explaining the Women in Motion (WIM) project.
https://www.fsitaliane.it/content/fsitaliane/it/sostenibilita/valorizzare-il-talento/women-in-motion.html

[3] Women in Motion (WIM) project official website
https://wim.win/

[4] Piece of news explaining how Italian railways are planning to have 8,000 women working as train drivers within the next ten years.
https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2016/12/24/news/fs_cerca_macchiniste-154777712/