New academy trains champions in sustainability at Britain’s biggest rail firm

Britain’s biggest rail operator, Govia Thameslink Railway, is marking Earth Day today (22 April) by establishing a Sustainability Academy for employees.

The candidates will champion the principles of an important new sustainability strategy, helping embed it across the train operating company that runs Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express.

Led by Head of Environment and Sustainability Jason Brooker (pictured below), the first cohort of five employees whose jobs vary from station manager to train maintenance engineer, are embarking on a two-year course that will earn them Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Practitioner Level 4, which is equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree.

Jason Brooker, GTR's Head of Environment and Sustainability, said:

“Today, on Earth Day, we’ve launched our new Sustainability Strategy that aligns to the industry Sustainable Rail Blueprint and commits us to achieving key goals around social sustainability, emissions and the natural environment.

“To make that happen we have to embed those principles across the business, it must be built into the targets set for every department, and they have to be accountable for reaching those targets, be it in recycling rates, energy use or emissions, for example.

“But even more importantly, we need to catalyse a cultural shift among our employees which is why I’ve set up this academy. This first cohort will inject a new way of thinking into their workplace and encourage others to be more sustainable around them.

“It’s the little things that make a difference, from the ‘No idling’ signs now displayed in car parks across our network to improve air quality, to segregating litter for recycling and switching off lights and heating when they’re not needed. It matters to the environment, even if you’re not the one making a saving on the energy bill.”

Hannah Causebrook, aged 25 from Great Bookham in Surrey, is a full-time apprentice in Jason’s Environment and Sustainability team who started the course in October fresh from university. She has been working on GTR’s climate resilience plan, which examines stations and rail tracks at risk of flooding as the weather becomes more severe through global warming, the impact this has on communities, rail services and passengers, and how the industry can work together to address this.

Hannah said:

“This apprenticeship has been a brilliant introduction to the workplace, because I’ve been trusted to take on work which will feature in GTR’s Sustainability Strategy and have had the freedom to explore topics which interest me across the business."

Read Hannah’s case study here.

Sustainability Director Rachel Everard, from the Rail Safety Standards Board, said:

“Govia Thameslink’s new Sustainability Strategy sets out a clear vision and pathway for delivering sustainable rail. Everyone working in the rail industry has a part to play in making this a reality. It’s fantastic to see GTR take a pioneering approach by introducing a Sustainability Academy that will build practical expertise and leadership from within. Initiatives like this help turn industry ambition into action.”

Sarah Harris, Head of Corporate Partnerships at LDN Apprenticeships, said:

“We’re delighted to be working with GTR on the launch of their Sustainability Academy, which plays an important role in supporting the delivery of their Sustainability Strategy. By investing in their people and building sustainability capability across the business, GTR is taking a practical approach to embedding its strategic commitments into everyday operations.”

GTR’s new Sustainability Strategy can be read here. RSSB’s Sustainable Rail Blueprint for the entire industry can be read here.

ENDS