The first yearly meeting of the UIC Expertise Development Platform (EDP), which took place at the VR training centre, Finland on 13 and 14 June 2012, brought together training executives/representatives from 15 different rail training centres/institutions.
One part of the meeting was dedicated to the work progress in the activities which form the focus of the Expertise Development Platform over the next two years:
- Trainer development
- Benchmarking customer service training
- 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 St-Pölten/Vienna from 24 – 26 April 2013.
Information about the submission of abstracts (deadline 10 September) and procedures for sponsorship are available at the following address:
http://www.uic.org/spip.php?rubrique2052
Another important purpose of the EDP meetings for the attendees is to share rail training developments across the industry, as well as to get updated information on current international developments regarding the rail sector.
Part of the meeting was dedicated to the presentation of the VR training centre and its activities. It was the opportunity for attendees to exchange experiences, ideas and good practice around topics such as driver training with simulation, traffic controller training with simulation, as well as conductor training, with a presentation of an innovative online experience of a learning diary.
Besides the demonstrations at the VR training centre, a technical visit was organised to the national and southern rail traffic control centres close to Helsinki.
Some time was also devoted to a round table update on the current situation at participating training centres.
As regards current international developments in the rail sector,
presentations were given by ERA (European Railway Agency), TCDD (Turkish Railways), and UIC. The representative from ERA gave an update on ERA’s staff-related activities.
TCDD representatives presented the standards they developed in the frame of EQF (European Qualification Framework) and work related to Directive 2007/59/EC.
Finally, the delegates were also updated on the latest worldwide developments at UIC, including the main developments in the Expertise Development Unit.
An important decision was adopted by RAME (UIC Regional Assembly for the Middle-East) members in the field of training with the creation of the “UIC Middle-East Railway Training Centre” (MERTCe) at the initiative of TCDD and UIC. The objectives are described in a message from Mr Karaman, President of Turkish Railways and Chairman of RAME as follows: “MERTCe is designed to create a solution to the training needs of railways that are emerging due to rapid developments in our region. It is envisaged that MERTCe will make contributions to the creation of a common railway area in the Middle-East in the me¬dium- and long-term and to the provision of interoperability via train¬ing and education”.
MERTCe will be managed by TCDD, in close cooperation with UIC, and will be based at TCDD’s Rail Training Centre in Eskisehir, Turkey.
A second important new activity for the Expertise Development Platform will be the management of a new global project dedicated to a “Network of talented young railway professionals”. The project should start in 2013.
The next meeting of the Platform is scheduled on 3 and 4 December 2012, at the TCDD training centre in Eskisehir, Turkey, where the new UIC Middle-East Railway Training Centre has been recently created.
For further information on the activity, please consult: www.railtraining.org
