Members of the Steering Committee of the Expertise Development Platform met in Paris on 6 March 2012 at UIC Headquarters. The purpose of the meeting was twofold: to review the state of play of the three working parties set up at the end of 2011 and to plan the Second World Congress on Rail Training.
The three projects to be implemented in 2012 – 2013 (areas resulting mostly from the feedback of delegates who attended the first World Congress on Rail Training in April 2011) are as follows:
- From ‘running trains to providing a service to passengers’. Service training in the railway business. Current participation: NS Opleidingen (coordinator), Abellio, MAV, SNCF, Japan Railways Group, Arriva Trains Wales, VR, RSSB, TCDD.
- Railway Trainer Development: what does a good railway trainer look like?
- Current participation: Rail Training International (coordinator), Network Rail (NDS Plant), Railinfra Opleidingen, ÖBB-Produktion, Poland’s Railway Scientific and Technical Centre, DB training, RSSB, TCDD, Amey, Irish Rail.
- In-company training programme: benchmark train driver training programme.
- Current participation: ÖBB-Produktion (coordinator), Polytechnic University of Madrid, RSSB, Renfe, TCDD.
The three projects are expected to have the following business benefits for members:
- Reducing aggression and conflict will reduce overall costs, improving the perception of public transport as being a safe and sustainable alternative to using other transport modes by providing a higher customer service level, exploring best practice and sharing ways of how we can improve staff perception of their role in running a public service that meets the expectations of the customer, and moving them away from the belief that they are ‘only there in the business of running trains’.
- Increased trainer competence will involve improved business performance, enhanced safety, job satisfaction for trainers, financial and safety performance, with eventually a more effective European transport network. An enhanced profile and credibility of the trainer’s role may enhance trainer retention.
- Focus on ensuring that any train driver training provided is aligned with the requirements of EU regulation by examining training gaps, maximising training efficiency and effectiveness and bringing consistency throughout our member states.
The Second World Congress will take place in Austria from 24 – 26 April 2013, at the St Pölten University of Applied Sciences, along with a technical visit in Vienna.
The key aims of the congress are to:
- Promote excellence in railway training through best practice models
- Highlight research findings in this area which bring innovation and have practical application to the industry
- Identify new challenges for training and training technologies
- Provide a unique opportunity to share knowledge and experience amongst training professionals and managers
The Congress is targeted at human resources and training directors, training executives, and training and workforce development experts.
The Congress will be held in the three official UIC languages – English, French and German.
For information related to next meeting of the UIC Expertise Development Platform that will be held in Helsinki on 13-14 June 2012: http://www.uic.org/spip.php?article2890
