More than 30 countries around the world attended the UIC 7th World Congress on Rail Training, Talent & Development in Chengdu, China last month, with the ARA’s General Manager, Workforce Development, Fiona Love also joining the conference.
The four themes of the Congress included:
- The impact of digitisation and new technologies on railway training
- The evolution of competency frameworks to meet future workforce needs
- Best practices in knowledge transfer, skills development and talent retention, and;
- The importance of international cooperation in railway education.
The presentations illustrated that the challenges we face in training, and the wider human resource sector are very similar in every country. Trainers are becoming harder to find, and there is a strong sense of urgency about integrating technology assets and solutions into rail training.
As our railways move from being a largely mechanical industry to a digital, clean energy industry, the skills that we currently have in rail and those we will need are changing at a very fast pace, and the education within the rail industry must also move to support the workforce.
If you would like further information about the Congress please contact ARA General Manager – Workforce Development, Fiona Love.