by Sonya Byers, CEO, Women in Transport
Our annual mince pies and networking event has been a regular feature in my social calendar for over 10 years so it feels strange not to meet our lovely volunteers, members and supporters in person to mark the end of an exceptional year. But yesterday I did don my Santa hat along with our youngest member, my six month old daughter Kara, at our final drop in session of the year and I even brought my own mince pie!
Women in Transport Drop In Session on 16 December 2020
I’m currently reading our next book club read - How Women Rise. It’s a great read and talks about how focusing on things that lie within your control can help improve your situation and clear your path to success whereas focusing on external factors that aren’t in your control can be an exercise in frustration. The pandemic is not something we can control so let’s focus on the positive steps we’ve taken in 2020 to support our members and to ensure the future of our network.
In March, we introduced virtual events, increased our communications and introduced a regular newsletter to support members. Our fortnightly live Zoom sessions have become a safe and friendly virtual space for members to meet informally, have lively discussions and network.
In April 2020, we joined forces with WISE and 20 other organisations to issue a joint statement on keeping gender on the agenda during COVID-19 and beyond and set up a portal of pooled resources to support women and girls in STEM.
By the end of May, we really weren’t sure what the future held for Women in Transport and I have to say a heartfelt thank you to every single member who rallied to our call to action campaign. Since June, we have seen our membership grow, welcomed new sponsors and increased our reach on social media.
In our Autumn members survey, we received excellent feedback including this very kind comment:
‘Women in Transport has really excelled during COVID. It is the best external resource I have been accessing!’
In October, we were delighted to launch applications for a fourth year of Advance 2021, thanks to TXM Recruit, Xanta Rail and Network for Skills. As with every year, applications outnumbered the number of places available and it was a tough decision to choose our final cohort.
In November, it was a privilege to meet our Advance 2021 cohort at the training and get to know everyone a little better. I find it inspiring and energising to meet the mentees and mentors who are a diverse range of individuals across transport. It’s fascinating to hear what they are looking to achieve from the mentoring programme - it is always unique to that individual. The biggest revelation of the programme for me has been how much the mentors benefit from the programme and we now have mentors that have been part of Advance for several years (some of whom you can see pictured below) - something I never anticipated when Angela and I first sat down over coffee to think about what a mentoring programme for Women in Transport might look like.
Advance 2021 Mentor Training Session November 2020
In November, we became a signatory of the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Charter launched jointly by The Railway Industry Association and Women in Rail to champion equality, diversity and inclusion in the UK railway industry. The joint charter is a commitment to work together to build a more balanced higher performing sector and has been backed by over 100 organisations.
And finally November saw, our Patron and one of our founding members, Rachel Skinner, become the 156th President of the Institution of Civil Engineers and marked the start of her year with ICE's first ever fully-virtual Inaugural Address.
Other highlights for me this year have been seeing the D&I Bus Group grow to 20 members from across bus. Chloe Leach-O’Connell is the driving force behind this group and it has become an honest, open forum for sharing and collaborating on diversity and inclusion practice across bus. Jane Cole, MD of Blackpool Transport is one of the fantastic members and sponsors of this group - you can register now to join us in January for an audience with Jane.
We have had to look carefully at our operating model but thanks to our agile way of working and a fantastic team of amazing volunteers and supporters, we are ending the year in great shape for the New Year.
In early 2021, we will be running a campaign for new board members to take up existing and new roles. This is an excellent opportunity for any members who would like to volunteer and contribute to our mission of advancing women working in transport. We’re also gathering support for our third regional hub so watch this space for exciting developments in 2021.
So as the year comes to a close, thank you for being part of Women in Transport. Your support means everything and we hope that we have helped you during this time of crisis. We are here for you and we look forward to supporting you in 2021. From all of us at Women in Transport, we hope you are able to find a way to enjoy the festive break and we wish you a happier 2021!
Annual membership of Women in Transport is £60 per year providing access to professional development 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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