Meet Your Future: National Careers Week 2023

Careers in the Public Sector

Your Career Journey with Transport for Greater Manchester

The Meet Your Future series is all about introducing you to potential careers in Greater Manchester that you might not have seen before. What better way to do that than with Transport for Greater Manchester? They’re the organisation responsible for keeping transport flowing across GM, whether that’s buses, trams, or traffic.

For National Careers Week, we focused on careers in the public sector. Have a look back some of our previous blogs to discover careers in the legal sector, the police, politics and fire and rescue.

In this Meet Your Future: National Careers Week article, we spoke to Jessica Skillington, a Resourcing Partner at TfGM. She’s going to cover some of the career opportunities at TfGM and how you could get started. Plus, hear from a current apprentice at TfGM who offers her tips on applications.

Watch the video below to see the full interview or read the article below for all the info you’ll need.

What do Transport for Greater Manchester do?

In the video, Jessica introduces TfGM and what they do within Greater Manchester. She explains that the organisation is responsible for ensuring the buses and trams in GM are properly staffed, run on time and are useful for residents. TfGM also cover road traffic in Greater Manchester. They look after permanent traffic lights as well as having strategic oversight over key roads in the city region.

The organisation is responsible for the creation and design of cycling and walking lanes, as well as bus stations and bus stops. TfGM are also looking at the reduction of air pollution caused by transport in the city region – so they’re also trying to ensure GM’s air is as clean as possible.

You might have also seen the Bee Network in the news recently – this is a Mayoral initiative to bring public transport in Greater Manchester back into public control. Transport for Greater Manchester are powering this change. TfGM also operate the iGo and Our Pass cards – both schemes help young people travel around GM for free or offer reduced fares.

In short, the work of Transport for Greater Manchester is all about making sure that people can get to where they need to be at the right time.

What opportunities are available at Transport for Greater Manchester?

As Jessica explains in the video, there are lots of different opportunities at TfGM as they are such a big organisation. She outlines just a few of them:

• • The finance team, looking at business accounts
  • The customer service team, supporting members of the public with their queries
  • The road safety team, who ensure roads in GM are safe to use
  • The human resources team, who recruit members of staff and run training and development
  • The IT team, who help with computer support and ensure IT equipment including station wifi is working
  • The services team, who ensure timetables are scheduled correctly
  • The business administration team, who make sure everything else runs smoothly

What about apprenticeship opportunities?

TfGM offer a number of apprenticeship opportunities, so if you’re thinking about an apprenticeship, they’re a great employer to have a look at. They offer apprenticeships in business administration, accountancy, procurement, customer service, and HR – amongst others!

Their apprenticeships can range from Level 2, equivalent to GCSEs, all the way up to Level 7, equivalent to a Master’s degree. So whatever level you’re at, TfGM could have an opportunity for you. Jessica also explains that due to the nature of their work, the organisation often have apprenticeships in civil engineering, offering a brilliant route into that career for anyone who’s interested.

Careers tip: Check out the TfGM careers page for up to date information about which apprenticeship schemes are currently open for applications. You can even register for job alerts so TfGM will email you when a vacancy opens that meets your requirements!

Hear from a current apprentice at TfGM

At the end of the interview, Jessica introduces Melissa Clark, a resource assistant at TfGM who’s undertaking a Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Human Resource Practice. Melissa says that her apprenticeship has allowed her to combine on the job training with off the job learning – and that she’s been able to apply what she’s learned to her role. She goes on to say that she thinks her apprenticeship is a great way to enter a career in HR!

In the video, Melissa reveals her seven key hints and tips of the recruitment process – we’ve summarised them below.

1. Research the role and the organisation you’re applying to. If you can demonstrate that you understand the role you’re applying for and what the organisation are looking for, it’ll really show your motivation.
2. Keep your CV brief. Melissa recommends keeping a CV to under two pages, to keep it simple and clear, and to tailor the CV to the most important requirements of the role you’re applying for.
3. Include skills and achievements from your personal life. Remember that things from your personal life are relevant to work – so this could be being in a club, a hobby, or even winning a prize – it could all be relevant to your job application.
4. Check spelling and grammar carefully. Double check your application and if possible ask someone else to give it a quick check as well.
5. Demonstrate transferable skills. Any form of experience helps demonstrate your transferable skills. Whether you’ve had a paper round, done some work experience, or been in a school sports team – it’s all useful to show off your skills.
6. Practice for interviews. Melissa recommends practicing for interviews with family or friends to help you think of responses to common questions.
7. Use resources online to help. There are lots of online resources that could help you prepare for applications and interviews, so check them out and have a look at what’s out there.

Find out more about careers with Transport for Greater Manchester by watching the full video above or by heading to their careers website. And, don’t forget to check out the GMACS blog for more videos and blogs from our Meet Your Future National Careers Week video series.