Terms of Reference for the Women in Transport project
by the European Rail Agency (ERA)
In the Rail sector women are under-represented and at the EU Agency for Railways the numbers of women in senior positions or operational roles is low.
There is a significant and an increasing international body of evidence that shows creating a better gender balance brings benefits for women and men, for the Organisation and for wider society (measurable in GDP terms).
Without concrete action it is likely that the issue of gender balance would take generations to improve, if ever. This project is part of the Management commitment to “walk the talk” as part of ERA's membership to the Women in Transport- EU Platform for Change. Ethically it is the right thing to do, Economically it is the smart thing to do.
The Agency has therefore prepared and approved the Terms of Reference for a new project “Women in Transport (WiT)”, which is currently included in its portfolio of projects and services.
This project aims to set up the scene for future more structural developments in the Agency in the field of gender balance and equal opportunities, at large. The immediate 4 outputs targeted are the following:
- Revised recruitment process to add gender balance as one of the criteria the contracting authority can take into account and to ensure the publications/interviews are gender neutral
- Establishment of a scholarship fund to support women in taking Railway engineering related studies e.g. Railway Systems' Masters
- Carry out a gender audit to identify areas that could be addressed to unlock further progress
- Establish a mentoring/career path system for women at the Agency.
Contact: Anja Van Impe, Project Manager Anja [dot] VANIMPEera [dot] europa [dot] eu (Anja[dot]VANIMPE[at]era[dot]europa[dot]eu)