The final event of the 1st Railway Talent Mentoring Program took place on 26 November 2025, in Lisbon, during the plenary meeting of UIC’s Talent & Expertise Development Platform. The initiative, coordinated by FS International and launched in June 2025, involved 14 mentor-mentee pairs from 7 UIC-member companies and 6 countries (Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France and Poland), providing a valuable platform for professional development, knowledge-sharing and international collaboration within the railway sector. The Group was represented by colleagues from RFI and Trenitalia France.
The programme, designed to foster connections and encourage reflection on career paths, witnessed an active participation and a high level of engagement, with very positive feedback from the participants. Some of the main focuses included diversity and inclusion issues, different cultural approaches, leadership skills and networking, and women empowerment in the railway sector, with 17 of the 28 participants being young women, many with STEM backgrounds.
The Program was held mainly online, plus a few in-person events which further encouraged discussion and cemented the new relationships established. The closing event confirmed the strong interest in the initiative and its tangible value, bolstering the organizers’ commitment to turn it into a permanent yearly event. The participants shared suggestions for improving the programme, and expressed their willingness to become ambassadors for future editions.
Based on the results and feedback gathered during this first pilot edition, a dedicated mentoring toolkit will be developed, to be used as practical tool for consolidating a long-term vision, a structured and sustainable programme to nurture talent and strengthen the skills of the UIC network, while disseminating best practice throughout the railway community.