New train drivers wanted: ÖBB inspires with career opportunities and training!

New train drivers wanted: ÖBB inspires with career opportunities and training!

ÖBB are facing a major change: Around 20 percent of employees will retire in the coming years, and so they are actively looking for successors. Every year up to 3,500 new employees are hired to meet the increasing need, as the ÖBB itself reported. CEO Andreas Matthä emphasizes that the railway has been a reliable employer for over 100 years and that the current efforts are necessary primarily because of the upcoming generation change. In Salzburg alone, 285 new jobs will be created this year, with the ÖBB also offering training programs for career changers.

attractive opportunities for young professionals

In order to win over more people for professions in the railway system, ÖBB has reduced the requirements: a completed apprenticeship or Matura is now sufficient to become a train driver or train attendant. Examples such as the 29-year-old Diana Ehart, who switched from the beautician to the trainer, show that women can also gain a foothold in this traditionally dominated profession. The proportion of women among the 4,400 train drivers in Austria is currently just five percent, but awareness of this problem is growing. Diana told how positive it is perceived by passengers when she controls the train.

The job offers of the ÖBB include a large number of professional roles, including train drivers, train attendants, and IT specialists who work on the digitization of railway companies. An attractive incentive structure, such as premiums for new employees after familiarization, is also intended to help win the necessary talents. The training costs are borne by the ÖBB, which makes the places even more interesting, and thus is an excellent opportunity for career changers.