Applications are open for Advance 2021

Women in Transport is delighted to announce the launch of the fourth year of Advance - a mentoring programme designed exclusively to support the professional development of our members.

Advance offers structured mentoring for women working in transport. Launched in 2017, the programme has supported 160 mentees and mentors to date. The programme was designed and is delivered by Sonya Byers, Chief Executive of Women in Transport, and Angela Gainsford, a long standing member.

In 2020, Steve Griffiths joined the delivery team as a volunteer to support mentor engagement and will continue to support mentors in 2021. Women in Transport Board Member, Kirsten Galea, will be taking on a new role for 2021 as mentee engagement lead.

All mentors and mentees will be provided with a training session by Sonya and Angela in November 2020 via Zoom. Attendance at the training will be mandatory for all mentees and mentors as it forms part of our pairing process. Mentor and mentee pairs will be introduced via email following the training.

Due to COVID-19, we will be running Advance as a ‘virtual’ programme. Training and three engagement sessions will be hosted via Zoom and we are assuming that all one to one mentoring sessions will be held virtually using a platform agreed between the mentor and mentee.

We look forward to reading your applications!


As a not-for-profit, Advance has been made possible with support from our generous sponsors TXM Recruit, Xanta Rail and Network for Skills.

TXM Recruit is proud to support Advance and the opportunity it gives to people who don’t have the experience or professional networks to enhance their knowledge or skill sets, allowing them to grow within a professional, open relationship.
— Gary Lincoln, Group Director, TXM Recruit
The events this year have proven the need for us all to support each other and provide help and guidance where we can. Advance is just one of the ways that Women in Transport is creating connections for women to make the most of their career opportunities and work/life balance.
— Matthew Regan, Director, Xanta
This work is at the heart of what we do and we are proud to support it. Advance is an excellent programme, helping to get more women into senior roles, something that is vital to the transport sector’s future success.
— Iain Smith, Founder, Network for Skills

Applications for Advance 2021 are open from 1 October 2020 until 15 October, find out more and apply here.

Women in Transport is a non-profit network with a mission of advancing women working in transport. Annual membership of Women in Transport is £60 per year providing access to professional development, mentoring and networking opportunities. We very much welcome guest blogs from our members - a great way to share the incredible diversity of opportunity in transport, raise your profile and connect with our community.

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