Student Volunteer - Young Rail Professionals Local Committee
This is an unpaid volunteering opportunity designed to fit around academic commitments.
Young Rail Professionals (YRP) is a volunteer-led, not-for-profit organisation that promotes, inspires and develops the next generation of rail professionals across the UK and Ireland. Our local committees organise professional development, industry engagement and networking opportunities for students and people in the first 15 years of their rail careers.
This flexible role gives students the opportunity to join a local committee and gain practical experience within a professional organisation. Volunteers can contribute to the areas that best match their interests, studies and career ambitions. You would not be expected to support every function listed below and your responsibilities would be agreed with the committee.
Event planning and delivery
Local committees organise technical talks, site visits, panel discussions, workshops, networking events and socials. Student volunteers may help to:
- Research potential event topics, speakers and venues
- Contact speakers and partner organisations
- Support event planning, registration and attendee communications
- Prepare event information for the YRP website and promotional channels
- Welcome attendees and support speakers on the day
- Take photographs or gather content from events
- Collect feedback and help the committee evaluate its activities
- Suggest events that would be particularly useful to students and people considering a career in rail
Marketing and communications
Each committee promotes its events and opportunities to YRP members and the wider rail community. Students interested in marketing, communications, media or design may help to:
- Draft social media posts, event descriptions and member emails
- Create graphics using YRP templates and brand guidance
- Schedule and coordinate content across relevant channels
- Promote events through universities, societies and professional networks
- Gather photographs, quotes and event highlights
- Write short event summaries or website articles
- Help maintain a consistent tone and visual identity
- Identify stories that demonstrate the value of YRP’s activities
- Support the committee’s wider communications plan
Student volunteers may also assist the National Executive Committee with YRP-wide marketing activity. This could include supporting major campaigns, promoting project and membership opportunities, gathering content from local committees, preparing website or email copy, creating campaign materials and helping share consistent messages across the organisation. Volunteers may also help collate basic campaign results and examples of successful content so that future communications can be improved.
Corporate and university engagement
YRP works with rail organisations, universities, professional institutions and other partners to create opportunities for its members. Volunteers may help to:
- Research potential partners and relevant university contacts
- Support initial communications with organisations
- Help coordinate collaborative events, speakers or site visits
- Prepare short partnership proposals or event briefs
- Maintain clear records of conversations and agreed actions
- Support relationships with existing corporate members and partners
- Identify opportunities for YRP to engage more effectively with students
- Represent YRP professionally when attending meetings or events
Networking and member engagement
Local committees help people build connections across different parts of the rail industry. Volunteers may support this by:
- Welcoming new members and first-time event attendees
- Helping students understand how to access YRP opportunities
- Supporting networking events and informal activities
- Gathering suggestions and feedback from local members
- Encouraging participation from people who may be new to rail
- Helping the committee maintain contact with university societies and student groups
- Suggesting ways to make events and communications more accessible to students
Projects and outreach
Students may also have opportunities to support YRP projects and campaigns delivered locally. These can include work connected with Railweek, Into Rail, Heritage, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Politics in Rail, Innovation and Young Rail Voices. Activities will vary but may involve:
- Supporting careers outreach and university engagement
- Helping deliver presentations, workshops or competitions
- Researching topics relevant to young people entering rail
- Coordinating volunteers and participants
- Preparing promotional materials and event information
- Working with schools, universities, heritage railways or industry partners
- Helping collect feedback and evidence of the project’s impact
- Contributing ideas for future activities and campaigns
Committee administration and coordination
Students interested in project management, governance or administration may help the committee operate effectively by:
- Supporting meeting agendas, minutes and action logs
- Following up agreed actions with committee members
- Maintaining shared documents and activity plans
- Helping coordinate calendars, deadlines and responsibilities
- Supporting basic budget planning and expense records under the direction of the committee Treasurer
- Assisting with reporting on events, membership engagement and committee activity
- Helping ensure activities follow YRP policies and agreed processes
What you could gain
The role is designed to provide meaningful experience that can complement your studies and support future applications for placements, internships and graduate roles. Depending on your chosen responsibilities, you could develop experience in:
- Event and project management
- Marketing, communications and content creation
- Teamwork and collaborative working
- Professional writing and presentation
- Stakeholder and partnership engagement
- Meeting coordination and administration
- Leadership and taking responsibility for agreed work
- Building relationships across different organisations
- Understanding the range of careers and functions within rail
- Working within a volunteer-led professional organisation
You will also have opportunities to meet students, graduates and experienced professionals working across engineering, operations, planning, project delivery, construction, commercial, communications and other areas of the rail industry.
Who can apply
This opportunity is suitable for students from any academic discipline who are interested in rail, transport, infrastructure or developing practical professional experience. You do not need to have previously worked in rail or have specialist technical knowledge.
We are looking for students who are willing to contribute as part of a team, communicate professionally and take responsibility for the activities they agree to support. An interest in meeting new people, learning about the rail industry and helping create opportunities for others would be particularly valuable.
Practical arrangements
This is an unpaid volunteering opportunity designed to fit around academic commitments. The level of involvement will depend on your availability, interests and the activities of your local committee. Some work can be completed remotely, while events and meetings may take place online or in person.
All volunteers must register as YRP members. Membership is free.
This is an unpaid volunteering opportunity designed to fit around academic commitments.
Young Rail Professionals (YRP) is a volunteer-led, not-for-profit organisation that promotes, inspires and develops the next generation of rail professionals across the UK and Ireland. Our local committees organise professional development, industry engagement and networking opportunities for students and people in the first 15 years of their rail careers.
This flexible role gives students the opportunity to join a local committee and gain practical experience within a professional organisation. Volunteers can contribute to the areas that best match their interests, studies and career ambitions. You would not be expected to support every function listed below and your responsibilities would be agreed with the committee.
Event planning and delivery
Local committees organise technical talks, site visits, panel discussions, workshops, networking events and socials. Student volunteers may help to:
- Research potential event topics, speakers and venues
- Contact speakers and partner organisations
- Support event planning, registration and attendee communications
- Prepare event information for the YRP website and promotional channels
- Welcome attendees and support speakers on the day
- Take photographs or gather content from events
- Collect feedback and help the committee evaluate its activities
- Suggest events that would be particularly useful to students and people considering a career in rail
Marketing and communications
Each committee promotes its events and opportunities to YRP members and the wider rail community. Students interested in marketing, communications, media or design may help to:
- Draft social media posts, event descriptions and member emails
- Create graphics using YRP templates and brand guidance
- Schedule and coordinate content across relevant channels
- Promote events through universities, societies and professional networks
- Gather photographs, quotes and event highlights
- Write short event summaries or website articles
- Help maintain a consistent tone and visual identity
- Identify stories that demonstrate the value of YRP’s activities
- Support the committee’s wider communications plan
Student volunteers may also assist the National Executive Committee with YRP-wide marketing activity. This could include supporting major campaigns, promoting project and membership opportunities, gathering content from local committees, preparing website or email copy, creating campaign materials and helping share consistent messages across the organisation. Volunteers may also help collate basic campaign results and examples of successful content so that future communications can be improved.
Corporate and university engagement
YRP works with rail organisations, universities, professional institutions and other partners to create opportunities for its members. Volunteers may help to:
- Research potential partners and relevant university contacts
- Support initial communications with organisations
- Help coordinate collaborative events, speakers or site visits
- Prepare short partnership proposals or event briefs
- Maintain clear records of conversations and agreed actions
- Support relationships with existing corporate members and partners
- Identify opportunities for YRP to engage more effectively with students
- Represent YRP professionally when attending meetings or events
Networking and member engagement
Local committees help people build connections across different parts of the rail industry. Volunteers may support this by:
- Welcoming new members and first-time event attendees
- Helping students understand how to access YRP opportunities
- Supporting networking events and informal activities
- Gathering suggestions and feedback from local members
- Encouraging participation from people who may be new to rail
- Helping the committee maintain contact with university societies and student groups
- Suggesting ways to make events and communications more accessible to students
Projects and outreach
Students may also have opportunities to support YRP projects and campaigns delivered locally. These can include work connected with Railweek, Into Rail, Heritage, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Politics in Rail, Innovation and Young Rail Voices. Activities will vary but may involve:
- Supporting careers outreach and university engagement
- Helping deliver presentations, workshops or competitions
- Researching topics relevant to young people entering rail
- Coordinating volunteers and participants
- Preparing promotional materials and event information
- Working with schools, universities, heritage railways or industry partners
- Helping collect feedback and evidence of the project’s impact
- Contributing ideas for future activities and campaigns
Committee administration and coordination
Students interested in project management, governance or administration may help the committee operate effectively by:
- Supporting meeting agendas, minutes and action logs
- Following up agreed actions with committee members
- Maintaining shared documents and activity plans
- Helping coordinate calendars, deadlines and responsibilities
- Supporting basic budget planning and expense records under the direction of the committee Treasurer
- Assisting with reporting on events, membership engagement and committee activity
- Helping ensure activities follow YRP policies and agreed processes
What you could gain
The role is designed to provide meaningful experience that can complement your studies and support future applications for placements, internships and graduate roles. Depending on your chosen responsibilities, you could develop experience in:
- Event and project management
- Marketing, communications and content creation
- Teamwork and collaborative working
- Professional writing and presentation
- Stakeholder and partnership engagement
- Meeting coordination and administration
- Leadership and taking responsibility for agreed work
- Building relationships across different organisations
- Understanding the range of careers and functions within rail
- Working within a volunteer-led professional organisation
You will also have opportunities to meet students, graduates and experienced professionals working across engineering, operations, planning, project delivery, construction, commercial, communications and other areas of the rail industry.
Who can apply
This opportunity is suitable for students from any academic discipline who are interested in rail, transport, infrastructure or developing practical professional experience. You do not need to have previously worked in rail or have specialist technical knowledge.
We are looking for students who are willing to contribute as part of a team, communicate professionally and take responsibility for the activities they agree to support. An interest in meeting new people, learning about the rail industry and helping create opportunities for others would be particularly valuable.
Practical arrangements
This is an unpaid volunteering opportunity designed to fit around academic commitments. The level of involvement will depend on your availability, interests and the activities of your local committee. Some work can be completed remotely, while events and meetings may take place online or in person.
All volunteers must register as YRP members. Membership is free.
