Train drivers earning £80k 'working class' under Civil Service internship scheme - as police and prison officers left out

A new government scheme restricts student Civil Service internships to people only from “lower socio-economic backgrounds”.

The system, which divides up the social class of the population based on their professions, has been designed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

It puts train drivers, who can earn up to £80,000-a-year, in that category.

The profession is classed as “lower supervisory and technical occupation”, regardless of the salary.

Under a related classification by the Social Mobility Commission, it means drivers are considered “skilled working class” for the purpose of assisting the government

This comes after the Rail and Maritime Union (RMT) and Transport for London (TfL) reached a deal for Tube drivers’ salaries to reach nearly £80,000 in the next three years.

Read more: Tube drivers offered £80,000 new pay deal as TfL bids to avoid further strikes

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Despite this, children of train drivers would be eligible for the civil service social mobility scheme if their parents had that job when they were aged 14.

Meanwhile, police officers earn between £30,000 and £48,000 depending on experience, and prison officers are on an annual salary of between £35,000 and £44,000 depending on their hours and location.

Senior Tories have blasted the decision to restrict access to Civil Service internships on these grounds as unfair and arbitrary.

Shadow cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart told the Telegraph: “Children of working people face active discrimination in public life because of their parents' occupation.”

This has come to light The information following a low key response to a question from the Tory peer Lord Jackson of Peterborough.

Emma Rourke, the acting National Statistician, confirmed in a letter to Lord Jackson that train drivers would be rank fifth out of eight categories in the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC).

Under the Social Mobility Commission's separate five-group system of categorising up the population by occupation, it counts them as “skilled working class” irrespective of salary.

Ms Rourke said that the ONS “does not incorporate income in the methodology”.

The Civil Service summer internship programme will give roughly 200 undergraduates the opportunity to work in a Civil Service department for two months, acting as a stepping stone to a career in the civil service post-university.

Undergraduates on the programme, which is paid, will get experience that could include planning events, writing briefings for ministers, shadowing senior civil servants and carrying out research for policy development.

Those on the scheme will get access to tailored support, including being allocated a “buddy” who is a current Fast Streamer and getting access to skills sessions.

Participants who perform well will be fast-tracked to the final stages of the Fast Stream selection process if they decide to apply for a job after graduation.

The scheme will open for applications this October and the with the first tranche of placements expected in summer 2026.

The programme is open to students who are in their final two years at university.

The move comes after the government announced plans to move thousands more civil servants out of London as part of plans to “radically reform the state”.

Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the minister responsible for civil service reform, said that Whitehall needed to reflect the broader community.

“We need to get more working-class young people into the Civil Service so it harnesses the broadest range of talent and truly reflects the country,” Mr McFadden said.

“Government makes better decisions when it represents and understands the people we serve.”