Business profile
Why only rail engineers?
As part of the Fourth Railway Package recently adopted by the European Commission, the creation of a skilled rail workforce will need to capture the necessary multidisciplinary element says Dr Marin Marinov
O
ver the last two decades rail services in Europe benefited significantly from the implementation of innovative
logistics principles. We are witnessing new business models being developed, piloted and implemented to serve national and international transport needs. Collaboration and transferable skills will help achieve this. Due to its multi-disciplinary nature the
rail industry includes a vast spectrum of subject areas ranging from engineering to social sciences. That is why the question is: why only rail engineers? To provide a vibrant sector which serves many of our social needs without causing damage to the environment, a collaborative effort bringing together experts from different fields is needed to build a skilled workforce capable of managing the railways efficiently. This cannot be secured without adequate rail education and training.
Globalisation, international trade and
social needs around the world necessitate a reliable rail service. This situation presents opportunities for university degree programmes to revisit their teaching methods, learning approaches, policy and practice, to introduce improvements, tune their curricula to current industry needs and hence guarantee a good learning outcome.
University programmes to reflect industry needs Implementation of rapid technology advances is also needed to guarantee that service of good quality is delivered. To build a vibrant sector that responds adequately to economic changes and local markets, creation, promotion and application of knowledge and competences have to be secured. Universities are the main sources of knowledge and competences. University education is changing from an input- output based, professor-led approach towards a more integrated competence- based, student-led approach, aimed at
providing the skills needed for deep understanding of multi-disciplinary concepts, policies and practices. The rail industry is one of the fastest
growing industries in the world. This growth cannot be sustained without skilled professionals who are able to master new technologies, implement innovation and handle system complexity with ease. Modern railways differ from historical concepts and practices that concentrated more on non-customer driven methods. Today the railway industry requires multidisciplinary concepts and transferable skills promoting creativity, R&D, innovation and flexibility. Such a critical point must be incorporated in university programmes. Railways do not operate within strict
fixed boundaries. On the contrary, they employ trans-boundary mechanisms linked with the entire supply chain. This has to be considered when designing and developing university programmes, suggesting that the programme curricula have to incorporate the business focus of the service and the operational structure of the supply chain as well as customer expectations.
Why only rail engineers? The rail industry does not exist in isolation. It complements the functions of almost all other sectors, instead. That is why the question is again: why only rail engineers? As part of the Fourth Railway recently adopted by the
Package(1)
European Commission (www.
ec.europa.eu/ transport/modes/rail/packages/
2013_en.htm), the creation of a skilled workforce for a vibrant railway sector will need to be dealt with extremely carefully so that the necessary multidisciplinary element is captured. This presents a great opportunity for universities to update their rail programmes, incorporate the missing multidisciplinary element in them and make sure that their curricula are tuned with rail industry needs, trends and agendas.
Strong multidisciplinary element at NewRail
In response to this situation, NewRail (2) at Newcastle University has developed flexible curriculum frameworks. Our education portfolio is based on innovative research-based block teaching, incorporates a strong multidisciplinary element and hence provides the skills and qualifications necessary for a rail sector that is vibrant and ever growing. Currently it provides the following opportunities:
• MSc in Rail Freight and Logistics through which the students develop their ability to initiate and carry out advanced performance systems analysis and research work to solve managerial, operational and engineering-related problems
• RailNewcastle summer school which employs an innovative multidisciplinary blended approach and is centred on the concepts of efficient rail services and international aspect of logistics, which promote reliable, safer and more secure rail
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