The second annual meeting of the Expertise Development Platform, which took place at PKP HQ, Warsaw on 16 and 17 November 2011, was welcomed by Mrs Maria Wasiak, CEO of PKP, and Mr Andrzej Sojecki, PKP Human Resources Director.
One purpose of the meeting, attended by representatives from 10 countries, was to finalise the 2012-2013 work programme.
Four activities will be the focus of the Expertise Development Platform over the next two years:
Trainer development
Benchmarking customer service
Benchmarking in-company training programme (training of drivers for licence and certificate) and
Preparation of the Second World Congress on Rail Training which will be organised in spring 2013
Another important reason for these platform meetings is to share rail training developments across the industry, as well as to get updated information with current international developments regarding the rail sector. Besides a presentation on currents trends for human resources and training activities across the PKP Group from Mr Andrzej Sojecki, PKP HRD, a session was dedicated to the current situation at participating training centres.
Olaf Mette from ERA (European Railway Agency) gave an update on the final outcome of training centres and the examiner recognition process, as well as ERA proposals regarding amendments on train drivers. The meeting was also the occasion for participants to learn from Anton Akulov, UIC Senior Advisor, about a new project to start in 2012: Network of Talented young railway professionals. Different railroads all over the world are conducting youth policies or youth programmes. These activities among railway companies clearly show the importance of such work and represent human capacity as a basis for sustainable development in the sector. Youth should serve as a catalyst for performance. International collaboration in particular is becoming increasingly significant due to the overall processes of globalisation and liberalisation.
The main objective of the project is to promote railway transport through young railway staff, to establish platforms such as the International Railway Youth Board or others, which will help us to prepare railway managers who are well-qualified, internationally business-oriented, multilingual and with high motivation to achieve company goals.
The project also aims to extend possibilities for the innovative development of railway transport and to improve its competitiveness in the transport services market through developing the professional competences of young railway staff, actively involving young employees in a process of solving strategic and current tasks for railway transport and making full use of their intellectual and innovative potential.
The meeting ended with the visit of IK (Railway Scientific and Technical Centre), formerly part of PKP (Polish State Railways), which since 1951 has been the leading railway research centre in Poland.
IK is also getting more and more involved in railway training, hence its interest in taking part in the Expertise Development Platform’s activities. IK is a long-standing UIC member and participated recently in PROTECTRAIL and RESTRAIL – EU funded projects under the aegis of UIC.
The next meeting of the Platform is scheduled for 13 and 14 June 2012, at VR’s training centre in Finland.
