Ignite your Career!
Whether you’re just starting to think about your future or already have big ambitions, our Ignite Future Talent Programmes are here to help you explore what’s possible. From hands-on experience to inspiring events, this is your place to discover where your strengths could take you.
Explore your opportunities
Find out what different roles look like across LNER and start shaping the path that feels right for you. Whether you’re curious about business, engineering, customer experience, digital or something totally new, there’s a route waiting for you to try. Look at our Career Areas and Meet our People pages to get an idea of what might suit you best.
We’ll help you to build confidence, to understand what employers look for in their employees and to get you ready for real-life workplaces. Simple, practical guidance to help you take your first steps with ease, and experience that will help you stand out when the time is right to ignite your dream career. Take a look at our Your Journey pages for top tips and advice.
Join activities, placements and programmes that help you learn by doing. Build skills, test out career ideas and grow your future potential with support from our teams. Declare your interest in participating now!
Explore our Ignite Programmes
Insight Days
Insight days can help you gain valuable insight into the roles that contribute to operational excellence at LNER. These are one-day unpaid events hosted by a specific team or career area in our business. Typically, they feature guest speakers, group activities and a chance to engage with our business leaders through Q&A sessions.
Work Experience
Work experience at LNER is a short, unpaid shadowing opportunity that will offer you the opportunity to observe our teams in action, getting a hands-on look at what some of our roles do every day. If you are looking to understand more about LNER, our working environment or get a feel for whether a role with us would be a good fit for you, then an on-site work experience opportunity might be right for you.
Student Placements
Does your T-Level course or College course require a certain number of practical days in order to help you qualify? Could we support you by providing an unpaid placement for the specific days you need? We can work with you and your education provider's placement coordinator to align some practical tasks to the work we do to ensure you get a first-hand look at a relevant area of work to achieve your goals. You'll also be equipped with a few real-world examples of how you have demonstrated your work. This should help in your interviews when you are ready to transition from education into employment.
Year-In-Industry Placements
Does your education provider offer you the option to take a break from your studies to gain practical experience in a related field? We will occasionally advertise positions on a fixed-term contract to give you the option to work full-time in your field. We will line up these roles with the academic year, so you don't miss out on your start dates. Register for job alerts and declare your interest so we know where there is high demand.
Apprenticeships
Our apprenticeships are designed to offer a unique blend of practical learning, professional development and a supportive community that set the stage for a rewarding career. Whether you're new to the rail industry or looking to switch career paths, an apprenticeship with LNER could be the stepping stone you need. Remember to register for job alerts because our apprenticeships are paid roles, but declare your interest so we know if you are interested in an apprenticeship we currently might not offer. Take a look at our dedicated Apprenticeship pages here.
Our Partnerships
We work collaboratively with the Community Rail Network and Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) located across the length of our route to deliver grassroots projects that support local people. Each year we support the Department for Transport to distribute over £60,000 of funding to CRPs to help them carry out their vital work. CRPs deliver programmes like ‘try a train’, run rail safety & careers workshops in schools and the wider community and also deliver cultural enrichment projects which make our trains and stations more welcoming. Visit the Community Rail Network website here to find your local partnership and how they support careers in rail.
Ductu is a social enterprise that focuses on connecting schools with employers such as LNER to provide meaningful, real‑world workplace experiences for students - particularly those who are disadvantaged, neurodiverse, or have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Its programmes help young people engage directly with employers through activities such as workplace visits, interactive challenges, and work experience placements, with the aim of improving career awareness, skills, and future employment opportunities.
Click here to find out more.
LNER is committed to inspiring future talent and supporting the communities in which we operate. We have partnered with Hamara in West Yorkshire to support young people from South Asian heritage within our communities and to help them explore career opportunities and find gainful employment.
Find out more about Hamara here.
LNER are a Gold Member of Rail Safe Friendly, a programme dedicated to spreading the vital message of rail safety among young people, educators, and parents across the UK. This is delivered in partnership with Learn Live, who have recently launched Career Friendly, a platform that connects schools, businesses, and parents to create meaningful learning experiences and career opportunities for students. You can find out more here.
LNER has partnered with The Talent Foundry, a social mobility charity that helps young people from under-served and disadvantaged backgrounds develop the skills, confidence and connections they need to succeed in education and employment.
To learn more, click here.
LNER partners with York College and the City of York Council to offer a Supported Internship Programme for young people aged 16-24, who have an education health and care plan (EHCP), to grow their employability skills and transition from education to employment.
Find out more here.
