The NSW Government is marking a major step forward in strengthening NSW's rail capability by welcoming one of its largest cohorts of female apprentices.
The 2026 female apprentice intake has risen 50 per cent on the previous year, with women now representing 11.1 per cent of all Sydney Trains apprentices - 3.2 per cent above the national average for male-dominated trades.
Of the overall Sydney Trains apprentice cohort of 270, there are now 30 female workers up from 20 last year. The uplift reflects the success of Sydney Trains' long‑term effort to attract and retain women in engineering, maintenance and trades-based careers.
This development comes at the same time as a new state‑of‑the‑art Skills Development Centre at the Auburn Heavy Maintenance Centre (AHMC) opens.
The newly opened Skills Development Centre provides first‑year Rollingstock apprentices with a safer, more controlled environment to build hand tool skills and gain practical experience using specialised tooling and equipment.
The facility delivers up to 380 hours of hands-on practical experience in the first year, which is more than double the practical hours typically provided in the standard apprenticeship.
This investment will help develop the trade capability needed to work on major upgrades of existing fleet as well as building skills for the future.
The Centre contains a mix of new and refurbished machinery, giving apprentices foundational skills in bench work, fabrication, welding, machining, wiring and precision tools.
They are also exposed to 3D printing and scanning technologies, equipping them to support modern manufacturing needs, including replicating obsolete or hard‑to-source components.
First year apprentices complete their initial training across four five‑week blocks, rotating between the Skills Centre and AHMC workshops.
In the workshops, they gain supervised experience across major programs such as the XPT Life Extension, performing tasks including bogie builds, component change‑outs and project work.
A dedicated electrical training area also supports senior apprentices preparing for final qualification exams and gain valuable simulated domestic wiring experience.
The controlled learning environment ensures that when apprentices enter busy depots they are safer, more confident and job‑ready.
Since 2022, more than 93 per cent of the women who have completed their apprenticeships at Sydney Trains have secured ongoing employment, demonstrating the success of these initiatives in building long-term careers in rail.
Sydney Trains' investment in training and diversity supports the NSW Government's priority to rebuild domestic manufacturing capability and secure the rail workforce of the future.
Minister for Transport John Graham said:
"By investing in world-class practical training and supporting more women into trades, we're building the skilled workforce NSW needs to maintain, renew and manufacture the rail assets that keep our state moving.
"The Skills Development Centre at Auburn will help apprentices enter depots safer, more confident and job-ready, an important step in rebuilding local capability."
Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said:
"Opening the Skills Development Centre is a major investment in the future of local rail capability and a big step forward in boosting technical skills development in NSW - helping people gain the skills that work for our rail network.
"We're seeing record numbers of women choosing trade careers with Sydney Trains, and we're committed to supporting that growth to encourage the trend across the board."
Member for Auburn Lynda Voltz said:
"It's great to have the Skills Development Centre here in Auburn - this area has a proud industrial history and the promotion of skilled trades is totally in keeping with that historical character.
"I'm also very pleased to note the massive increase in the female apprentice intake year-on-year at Sydney Trains and how much higher that is than the national average."
Sydney Trains Chief Executive Matt Longland said:
"This facility gives apprentices significantly more hands‑on training than they would normally receive, setting them up for long‑term success.
"As a result, our apprentices get an extraordinary level of exposure to real trade tools and technologies."
Head of Sydney Trains Rollingstock Ron Devitt said:
"These apprentices are not just learning theory - they're fabricating, machining, welding, fault‑finding and wiring from day one.
"By the time they reach our depots, apprentices trained through this Centre have the practical experience to hit the ground running."
