Lead: FAQs
Find the answers to your frequently asked questions below
What level of experience do you need to take part?
We think the ideal participant for this programme meets some or all of the below criteria:
Is mid-level in career and organisation, and already responsible for a project, a budget, delivery of a service and/or team of people
Feels or has been told that they are capable of more, and maybe not progressing at the rate they would like
Would like to be a senior manager or director in one to three years’ time
Has more to give and whose career ambitions are not being met
Is passionate about the transport sector and love the idea of an alumnae of like-minded professionals available to them for the rest of their career
How will this programme benefit my organisation?
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.
There are a lot of women's leadership courses, what is the benefit of choosing this one?
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 alumnae network, where women within the sector can grow together and support each other, is something that we believe makes a tangible difference.
Is this course only open to women and what is that that women will get out of the programme?
This programme is open to all Women in Transport members who are women.
The reasons for this is that:
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 alumnae 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.
What is involved in each module?
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
An afternoon more social session, to go deeper for a particular aspect or concept
Additionally:
Three of the modules have one to one coaching sessions, Three 1:1 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 touch points in this programme, all within a suggested four hour learning commitment for each week over the course of eight months.
How transferrable will this be to other sectors?
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 alumnae network is specific to the transport sector.
Is the time commitment flexible i.e. done outside of work or is the time allocated to activities during the working week?
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
How are the participants supported after the programme?
Our aim has been to create a movement, a Lead alumnae 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.
How would this programme eventually benefit less senior women?
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.
Is there a limit to the number of people who can attend the course?
There are 16 to 18 places. The maximum number of participants per company for each cohort is four, subject to availability.
What is the selection criteria for choosing who will be accepted?
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 alumnae. 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.
Is it possible to receive a recording of a missed session if a work meeting is scheduled for the same time?
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.
Contact us at lead@womenintransport.com for more information or to enrol and pay for your place
