Rise in rail recruitment sees specialist expand into new premises

A recruitment specialist for the rail industry is celebrating the opening of its new Doncaster office, following its growth in the rail sector.

Coleman James says that its rail division had a record year in 2023, which saw its turnover grow to £4.5M.

The move comes following a ‘boom’ in recruitment for the industry for the next generation of engineers and technicians, on the back of large-scale projects like HS2, the Transpennine route upgrade and East West rail.

The firm says that over the past two years, it has outgrown three different offices at Apex Office Space Doncaster.

Coleman James partners with SMEs and PLCs in the rail industry, including AmcoGiffen (part of Renew Holdings PLC), VolkerRail, Motion Rail and RES Group.

"Much of our growth is aligned to recruiting personnel to fulfil CP6 infrastructure projects, particularly for Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors," explained Andrew Mackay, Managing Director at Coleman James.

"We’ve built successful, long-term partnerships with SMEs, owner-led businesses and Plcs, particularly across telecoms, civils and signalling. For our next phase of growth, we’ll be targeting infrastructure companies on the CP7 framework as well as major projects across the rail industry, who share our commitment to deliver quality and value, through sustainable recruitment strategies."

The firm is now located at Wagon Works, in the J3 Business Park, originally known as the ‘Plant Works’. Built in 1815, the building was used to manufacture and repair locomotives and rolling stock for the Great Northern Railway.

The company says that being at heart of the area’s historic rail sector with a long-term future in Doncaster will allow it to serve clients across the UK.