Own your future: Rising Stars Programme highlights sector commitment to skills
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As National Careers Week 2026 focuses on the theme Own YOUR Future, UKTram and its sector partners would like to share a clear message: the future of the industry depends on the people entering it today.
Launched at last year’s Light Rail Conference in Leeds by the Light Rail Transit Association, UKTram and Mainspring, the Rising Stars programme has been created to encourage entry into the sector and provide structured support to early-career professionals working across light rail.
Open to anyone aged 18 to 35 working in the industry, from apprentices to graduates and across all departments and disciplines, the programme offers access to professional networks, knowledge-sharing and training opportunities designed to strengthen long-term career development.
Rising Stars members receive membership of the LRTA, a digital copy of Tramways and Urban Transit, access to monthly online talks delivered by leading figures in light rail, invitations to local in-person meetings, free entrance to the National Tramway Museum at Crich, access to a confidential peer discussion platform and further training opportunities organised in conjunction with the heavy rail industry.
For UKTram Managing Director James Hammett, the initiative reflects a wider strategic priority for the sector.
“The future resilience and growth of light rail rely on developing and retaining skilled professionals across the sector. We want to really emphases how Rising Stars provides early-career colleagues with access to knowledge and visibility sector-wide visibility at an important stage in their journey. If we are serious about thinking long-term, employers must support their talent and encourage them to engage beyond their own organisation.”
As networks mature and renewals activity increases, the sector’s need for technical competence, digital capability and operational expertise continues to grow. Structured collaboration and shared learning are central to meeting that challenge.
National Careers Week provides an opportunity not only to highlight career pathways into light rail, but to reinforce the role employers play in supporting those pathways.
Employers are encouraged to nominate eligible team members by contacting risingstars@lrta.org with the nominee’s details. Individual applicants may also express interest directly, with confirmation from their employer or tutor.
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