Each organisation is unique, however here are some frequent reasons other organisations have told us why they invest in this way:

• Succession planning: It is more cost effective and more motivating messaging to promote from within where possible.

• Broadening perspective: Learning from peers from a wide cross section of the transport and transport infrastructure sector can help specialists and experts widen their view. This knowledge is valuable to you as these women add to your top talent.

• Visible action: Investing in your women leaders increases your corporate image. It promotes your company positively as you invest in something tangible to close the representation gap at senior levels in your organisation.

• Additional Value: This programme complements your own in-house leadership development programmes for all genders, and particularly supports the confidence in your women leaders as they take their place more explicitly in your organisation.

• Positive Role Modelling: Your women leaders will emerge from this programme with more career motivation, clarity and skills to add value to your organisation. Their progression will inspire others to aim higher too.. 

This initiative allows an organisation to invest in key people, adding to both their capability and effectiveness, encouraging their confidence to reach higher, making progress both with individual career and organisational targets. We think that the Lead programme supports this, whilst also widening the pool of women leaders across the whole sector.

Lead equips participants with the skills, models and behaviours required for successful leadership and career progression. It allows participants to embed their learning and gain feedback throughout the programme.

Participants work individually and collaboratively to:

• Embrace a ‘leader as learner’ mindset to their leadership contribution

• Develop confidence in their own unique, strengths based leadership style

• Fine tune their interpersonal communication and authentic networking skills

• Learn to respond differently to challenges in their teams and organisations

• Develop a tangible plan for the achievement of their career ambition

• Develop and deliver a project pitch regarding an area of innovation for the Women in Transport community

The Lead programme includes many elements of the best programmes around. We have benchmarked both generic leadership programmes and women-only ones.

By creating a programme that is specific to transport, we offer something that gets to the root of issues for women in this sector and to explore issues that are specific to it.

The alumni network, where women within the sector can grow together and support each other, is something that we believe makes a tangible difference.

This programme is open to all Women in Transport members who are women.

The reasons for this are as follows:

• Women are significantly underrepresented in the transport sector as a whole, representing just 18% of the transport workforce.

• Our mission at Women in Transport is to support and advance the professional development of women working in transport.

• We want to create a space where women can explore and create their own leadership style; one that is personal to them and that reflect their own personalities, strengths and preferences.

• The alumni network is women-only, a community of women that supports each of the members to grow, thrive and reach their potential.

We help participants to explore their own strengths, styles and preferences and to create a brand of leadership that is personal to them. 

Whilst women are of course all individuals, there are some traits that tend to be mostly found in women. The industry (and society as a whole) can benefit from increasing the number of women in senior positions. Diversity of thought improves all aspects of the industry and opens up more opportunity for new women joining the transport sector.

Our programme is 100% virtual. Modules mostly follow a four-week cycle. Some of the modules are elongated to spread the time commitment. There are eight modules all together over a period of eight months with breaks to allow for school holidays. Designed to be achievable alongside undertaking a full time role, we recommend allowing 3-4 hours per week to complete the course elements. 

The modules comprise a number of learning interventions including, pre-work, a group training workshop (delivered on Zoom using all of its facilities of group sessions, breakout rooms and chat), peer learning and a themed insight session (also on Zoom). Additionally, there is a 360-degree feedback exercise and three one to one coaching sessions with one of the Women in Transport team of highly experienced and expert coaches.

More specifically, each module incorporates a number of components:

• Some pre-learning to set the scene and enable us to take best advantage of the whole group sessions.

• A four-hour session to explore the specific topic of the module and bring it to life.

• Time to come together as a small peer learning group to reflect on the material and identify how to best use it within your own context and environment.

• A more social afternoon session, to go deeper for a particular aspect or concept.

Additionally:

• Three of the modules have one-to-one executive coaching sessions with one of our panel of coaches, which will provide an opportunity to find the time and space to focus on areas that are specific to you personally.

• Towards the end of module 5, we introduce a group learning activity which centres around identifying an area of innovation that would improve the situation for women in the transport sector and which leads to making a pitch in workshop. This offers the opportunity for participants to work in a second small group and to work on something that would add value to the industry.

There are over 30 separate touchpoints in this programme, all within a suggested four-hour learning commitment for each week over the course of eight months.

The programme will cover topics that are relevant to all sectors. It will include how to translate the learning to your own specific context and environment and give you the skills to do this as you change role and even sector.

The alumni network is specific to the transport sector.

We suggest a time commitment of 3-4 hours a week. Some of this, for example the monthly four-hour group training session and the themed insight sessions, will be within the usual working day and at set times.

Some of the programme is much more flexible, for example:

• It is up to you when you do the pre-work.

• You will agree the timing for your peer learning session with the rest of your small group.

• The one-to-one coaching can be at any time to suit you.

Our aim has been to create a movement, a Lead alumni network, within the Women in Transport membership.

This network is one of women supporting women and one that builds on the work that has already been done by Women in Transport.

We have found that many participants have continued to engage with their peer learning and pitch groups and with the activities of their local hub.

Our mission is advancing women working in transport. Whilst we have seen recent announcements about the increasing number of women in senior roles, there is still much to be done to get to a point of true representation.

We have found that participants from this programme often become allies and mentors to people within their organisation, sharing the learning that they have experienced.

There are 16 to 18 places. The maximum number of participants per company for each cohort is four, subject to availability.

You must be a member of Women in Transport and a woman.

You can join just as you start the programme and you must keep up your membership in order to remain part of the alumni.

There are no other requirements, but we work to attract a cohort of likeminded women who want to develop, will actively participate in all elements of the programme, and will support each on the way.

No. We work to create a safe space for participants to discuss the topics openly, and so often the discussions during workshops and insight sessions are highly confidential. It would not be appropriate for us to record, store or share these.

It is important that every effort is made to attend sessions, as the programme builds module by module and all participants have a responsibly to show up for each other.

That said, we recognise that sometimes things get in the way and we have found that anyone who has missed a session has been able to catch up thanks to the workbooks, the summary emails that are sent out after each session, and with the support of their peer learning group.