Attracting young engineers to the rail industry in Australia

This paper reports the quantitative stage of a mixed-methods research project focussing on attracting engineers and skilled technologists to careers in the Australian rail industry. There is increased demand for engineering skills and a need to replace retirees yet it has been identified that rail is not attracting its share of entry level and mid-career professionals. Using career preference and brand equity theory the survey with engineering students and their influencers map what graduating engineers aspire to and what they and HR/industry stakeholders consider rail offers. The identified mismatch between what attracts these young engineers to engineering careers and what they perceive rail offers and what HR professionals believe rail offers can inform rail branding and attraction strategies.