The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) is leading the development of national courses and competency management to support a strong and diverse rail workforce for the future.
It is working with the education sector across Australia to build training and learning solutions that support careers in rail and help existing rail industry workers transition to new technologies.
Most notably, it has recently begun work on a Train Driver Rail Operations Skills Set (TDROSS) course as part of a broader strategy to improve skill harmonisation across the industry.
A National Reference Committee as well as a TDROSS Working Party have been set up to support the development of the course to ensure industry is fully informed and able to contribute and share strategy ideas for engagement between industry and TAFE.
The Train Driver Rail Operations Skill Set will be delivered by TAFE and rail registered training organisations (RTOs) in remote, regional and urban settings to offer rail training that is directly relevant to a range of roles in rail operations.
ARA chief executive officer Caroline Wilkie said that given the record investment in the rail sector and a growing workforce shortage, it wa essential that efforts were made as soon as possible to ensure the sustainability of the industry.
“Growing talent pools of rail workers and training opportunities in the TAFE sector are critical to this,” she said.
“It is also critical that those learning opportunities be rail-specific and provide the competent workforce that rail needs to deliver and maintain rail projects and assets into the future.”
The TDROSS course is aimed at stimulating interest in becoming a freight driver, typically through being a Driver Assist or second person, who, once employed after the skill set training, goes onto being a driver. However, the course will also provide skills and insight into a wide range of operations roles including shunter, guard, signaller, train controller, roster clerk and many others.
The delivery of the skill set also marks the move of rail training into the TAFE sector which, apart from apprenticeships, has not previously occurred. Changes in the structure of rail engineering and operations has meant that training that used to occur for the wider industry is no longer available.
The ARA hopes to have the curriculum and assessment completed by late November 2023. The first phase of the project has been scoping the course build in detail in collaboration with ARA members.
“Now that this phase is complete, ARA is working to establish the program of work that will underpin the development of the curriculum and assessment. Again, this will need to be undertaken with the support and guidance of industry and other key stakeholders such as our regulators and unions,” Wilkie said.
GETTING UNIVERSITIES ON BOARD
ARA has been advocating for undergraduate learning solutions that are rail focused to be part of engineering faculty offerings.
It has recently marked another important achievement in the education and skills training space with Deakin University agreeing to develop a rail-specific subject in its undergraduate engineering degree.
Engineering disciplines such as civil and electrical are the most urgent. As rail moves more into digital signalling systems, such as European Train Control Systems (ETCS) and Communications Based Train Control (CBTC), there will be a need for degrees in areas such as Communications and Electronics to have electives that allow students to acquire knowledge with application in a rail context. Reliance on overseas skills in the medium and longer term is not sustainable. It will be important to balance that reliance with Australia being in a position to grow a skilled workforce to support the full asset lifecycle of digital signalling.
Deakin University has come on board with a formal offer to develop a subject that will comprise the study of track design and rail maintenance with a focus on track civil, electrical and communications.
Additionally, Deakin will use the undergraduate subject to develop two micro-credentials that will also be offered as stand-alone micro-credentials, or units in post graduate programs. It is planned that these courses will be available from March 2024.
Deakin will undertake the development with assistance from ARA member subject matter experts.
“ARA is continuing discussions with other universities to also introduce rail specific subjects to electrical engineering degrees and that includes content related to renewable energy sources and rail transitions to those new energy sources,” Wilkie said.
ARA, Engineering Education Australia (EEA) and the University of Tasmania (UTAS) are also looking at a partnership to develop signalling micro-credentials. Through the support of ARA, EEA will develop a Diploma in Rail Signalling that can be offered nationally via the UTAS as is the case with the UTAS Diploma in Track Engineering. This Track Engineering Diploma is the third most popular course UTAS offers across the entire catalogue of courses.
“There were many university graduates who visited the ARA’s Work in Rail stand at recent careers expos across the country looking for advice on how to enter the industry and it is expected that these efforts will begin to bridge the gap,” Wilkie said.
IDENTIFYING FUTURE SKILLS NEEDS
The ARA also recently held a heavy haul training needs analysis workshop in Perth to better understand the current and future skills gaps in the sector and provide a roadmap for solutions to support industry.
The workshop provided a strong opportunity to understand the emerging skillsets that will be required to support new, more sustainable operating practices, including the adoption of new rollingstock technologies.
The findings of the workshop will inform further work in 2023-24 to deliver solutions to attract and develop the skills needed to support the industry’s transition to decarbonisation.
The workshop also saw heavy haul operators in WA agree to adopt the Rail Industry Worker (RIW) program to support the management of competencies on site. The RIW program is the only national program of its kind in the rail industry, making it easier for rail workers to move between projects and across state borders.
Following several follow-up discussions, these four areas of rail were identified for review: rolling stock (commissioning, operations and maintenance); track (including maintenance and potential electrification); supporting infrastructure (including charging infrastructure); and signalling and network control.
Three priority areas were identified from the workshops in Perth:
- Priority 1 – Signalling Technicians
- Priority 2 – Process Safety Design and Engineering (PSD&E)
- Priority 3 – Electrical trades and engineering
A further workshop is being planned for Queensland heavy haul members.
“The ARA has also collaborated with the National Rail Skills Hub (NRSH) on a number of initiatives, including the development of the national Train Driver Rail Operations skill set,” Wilkie said.
“The NRSH and ARA commenced planning for a Skills Forum, to bring together industry and government to explore opportunities to prepare for skills that will support more digital and decarbonised railways.
“The forum will explore competency profiles, consider the potential to expand or change the skills underpinning key roles and identify new roles and education pathways required to meet future needs. This will be a key part of the ARA’s continued focus on skills development to meet both short- and long-term industry needs.”
DEVELOPING A NATIONAL CURRICULUM
Wilkie said that achieving harmonisation and mutual recognition of competent rail operators would require a consistent approach to curriculum and assessment.
“The harmonisation of standards and regulations will ensure greater productivity and efficiencies for both the rail industry and the associated supply chain,” she said.
The ARA has identified the two course areas where there is opportunity to introduce a national curriculum – Safely Access the Rail Corridor (SARC) and Train Driver Rail Operations Skill Set (TDROSS).
SARC is typically a one-day program and in terms of the rail industry is the equivalent of the White Card for the entry-level requirement in construction. There is significant variation in safe working, physical attributes and ways of working across the various rail corridors in Australia. Nonetheless, the National Rail Safety Law is a national law, and the unit of competence is a national unit.
The ARA, RISSB and NTC are in favour of a national SARC curriculum and assessment, delivered by the registered RTOs for the rail industry, with the addition of TAFE, similar to the role of the White Card in construction.
Ideally, SARC would be offered as a national digital on-line course, with local domain risks being tool boxed or trained as required on site.
ARA INTRODUCTORY COURSES
To help address the shortfall in rail-specific courses available, the ARA regularly conducts its own educational and training learning solutions.
The ARA’s inaugural Introduction to Rail Signalling Course commenced in May, facilitated by experienced rail signalling engineer Jane Copperthwaite, contracted by the ARA to develop the course content.
It was fully booked out with 60 participants undertaking the five-week online module.
Registrations have opened for the next course from October 12.
Work has also begun on developing an Introduction to Rail Operations Course, to be delivered by the ARA in the future.
It also runs an introductory Understanding Rail course, which is a five-week online course aimed at a broad audience, from graduates to those in the sector wanting to refresh their knowledge. It starts in September and registrations have opened.
The ARA’s vision is for a thriving rail industry enabling economic growth and driving sustainability and it continues to collaborate with members, industry and government to build industry capability, harmonisation, workforce development and sustainability.
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