On track with ScotRail as latest SCQF Inclusive Recruiter

ScotRail Employees outside Glasgow Queen Street Station

ScotRail is the most recent organisation to become an SCQF Inclusive Recruiter, committing to using SCQF levels in its recruitment processes.

ScotRail provides nearly 100 million passenger journeys each year, with over 2,300 intercity, regional and suburban rail services a day, more than 340 stations, and just under 800 trains serving Scotland’s railway. The ScotRail network is vital to Scotland’s communities and to the country’s booming tourist industry. With over 5,000 employees based across Scotland, it is a large employer with a proud history.

Launched in 2019, the aim of SCQF Inclusive Recruiter is to help employers and HR professionals understand that many different qualifications have the same worth, and to encourage use of SCQF levels in the recruitment process to offer clarity around skills and experience.

By using SCQF levels rather than specific qualifications in job adverts, employers large and small can widen the pool of potential applicants who may have a variety of qualifications, skills and experience at the required level. They can therefore recruit the right person with the right skills into the right job which is great for the organisation’s productivity and employee satisfaction.

Neil Archibald, ScotRail Head of Strategic Workforce Planning, said:

“This is a really progressive move by ScotRail as we continue to develop our methods of attracting the best candidates for vacancies. By adding SCQF levels into the recruitment mix, we are confident we will be able to identify skills and experiences that might previously have been ignored or overlooked. We believe this will be good for applicants, for ScotRail and for the wider rail network, as we will all benefit from a more flexible and robust selection process.”

Aileen Ponton, CEO of the SCQFP added:

“The SCQF Partnership is delighted that ScotRail has become an Inclusive Recruiter. It is really heartening to see a major company recognise that using SCQF levels in recruitment, rather than stating specific qualifications, can open up a wider pool of talent for them and we will follow their progress with real interest to assess the impact it has on the workforce.”

Want to find out more? Becoming an SCQF Inclusive Recruiter is free and simple! Visit the Inclusive Recruiter section of our website or contact us at info@scqf.org.uk.