Stagecoach searches for new graduates

Stagecoach, the country’s biggest bus and coach operator, has launched the search for a team of new graduates to join its UK-wide business from September.

Applications have opened for ten people to join its two-year extensive graduate training programme. Successful applicants will have a valuable opportunity to learn the bus and coach business inside-out, with time spent in operations, engineering, financial, marketing and commercial departments at a range of locations up and down the country from Inverness to Exeter.

The programme is part of Stagecoach’s strategy to develop its future managers and leaders, and Stagecoach is working with Sanctuary Graduates, the UK’s leading graduate recruitment agency, who work with over 200 universities in the UK and across Europe.

As part of its sustainability strategy, Stagecoach has committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce that targets 40% of females in leadership roles with 25% of the workforce identifying as being from ethnic minorities by 2026.

Stagecoach was the first public transport organisation to offer a flagship driver apprenticeship scheme as well as an industry-leading engineering apprenticeship programme and during 2022 received recognition as a Top 100 apprentice employer. It also offers a ‘Trade-up’ scheme, giving existing employees the opportunity to undertake an apprenticeship with the engineering team and are hoping to develop this even further.

A number of Stagecoach’s senior team started life on its graduate scheme, with a total of one Regional Director, five Managing Directors and ten other directors successfully completing the scheme before progressing their career through the business.

Matthew Cranwell joined the graduate scheme in 2004, and was promoted through a number of senior positions before becoming Managing Director for Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire and more recently for Stagecoach East Midlands, a business that runs 460 buses across Lincoln, Hull, Grimsby, Skegness, Worksop, Mansfield, Gainsborough and Scunthorpe and employs 1,300 people across eight depots.

Zach McAskill (pictured right) started his Stagecoach career on the graduate scheme in 2018, going from strength to strength, having been recognised for an internal Stagecoach Stars award in 2022, and then securing his Operations Manager role in Stagecoach Manchester.

Sean Algar, Interim Head of Resourcing for Stagecoach, added: “Our business is built on our people and they are fundamental to our success. We are proud to have a diverse, high-quality team that reflects the communities we serve, and it’s important that we continue to build on that by nurturing the next generation of talent to support our business.

“We’re very proud of our track record of not only developing graduates into managers and leaders through this programme, but also offering continued progression within our business.”

The next Stagecoach Graduate Leadership Programme starts in September 2023, and applications need to be submitted by 27 February at https://employers.sanctuarygraduates.co.uk/stagecoach/#benefits.

Full information on the criteria can be found on the website but in summary, the minimum requirements are a 2:2 degree or above in any discipline by September 2023, a full UK/EU driving licence by September 2023 and a good level of personal resilience and zest for learning. The application process will include a telephone interview and time spent at a face-to-face assessment centre. The scheme is open to all internal and external applicants.

For more information, visit https://employers.sanctuarygraduates.co.uk/stagecoach/#