Safety, Standards & Regulation, Workforce, Certification & Training

First of ARA’s national training courses launched

The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has launched the National Track Safety Induction (NTSI) courseware, as its first step towards nationally consistent training in the rail industry.

Launched last night at the RISSB Rail Safety Conference in Melbourne, the NTSI courseware is the result of industry collaboration towards a national approach for training.

The courseware is focused on training workers to operate safely within the rail corridor, with common course materials across Australian jurisdictions.

A national approach for this training will create efficiencies, through reduction in the retraining for workers operating across different networks and states, potentially saving millions, the ARA said.

“This harmonisation will create a safer, more productive and cost effective approach to learning and development activities in the rail industry,” ARA chief executive Bryan Nye said.

Nye estimates the development of one common course will save individual organisations around $80,000 on average, and said in the long term, common courseware for all rail-specific training can save the industry more than $39 million.

“With movement in the industry over the last ten years towards a national rail system, it is increasingly common for rail maintenance owners, operators, suppliers and contractors to work across multiple jurisdictions,” Nye said, “creating unnecessary inefficiencies and impacting on productivity.”

The NTSI courseware covers the core competency requirements of level 1 track safety awareness that. The ARA says the material is designed to meet the needs of multiple networks across Australia.

“A great deal of work has been completed to reach this point thanks to the dedication and commitment demonstrated by representatives from 14 accredited rail operators and infrastructure managers who worked in partnership on this initiative,” Nye said.

“However it is only the start of the journey,” he concluded.

“Maintaining this consistency and ensuring the quality of training delivery for the NTSI is a high priority for ARA and its members.”