Learning for the Future - University Of Illinois

1 Railway Track & Structures December 2009 27 The railroad workforce is agingand is expected to lose largenumbers of employees to re-tirement in the next fewyears. To replace them and tokeep the skills of existing employeessharp calls for top-notch education andtraining such as those programsdescribed in this American Railway Engineeringand Maintenance-of-Way Associationhas education as one of its association pursues that goal throughseminars and its annual AREMA doesn t offerclasses, the association does offerseminars on various subjects at varioustimes throughout the year. Thenumber of students varies, dependingon subject matter and location.

2 Thelength varies from one-to-three days,typically. The audience AREMA istrying to reach includes railway andtransit engineering are not entry-level the introduction to PracticalRailway Engineering assumes an en-gineering degree s educational offerings aredesigned to provide Professional De-velopment Hours for engineers tomaintain their PE designations. Theassociation also offers CEUs for thosewho might need them. Seminars are de-signed to increase proficiency and in-troduce new technology and emphasizes safety and hasseveral seminars directly related to Committee 24 - Education&Training is responsible for a portionof the seminars that the associationoffers.

3 Other technical committees areresponsible for developing and con-ducting seminars in their specific areaof expertise. For example, the AREMAB ridge Inspection Seminar is put on byone of the Structures Committees, Richards of HDR is currentlyCommittee Chair of Committee has also embarked on anew Web-based educational programthat will provide technical presenta-tions and educational modules in 30-90minute segments via Webinar tech-With a large percentage of the railroad workforce set to retire in the nextfew years, education and training are becoming even more theAREMA offers seminars and other opportuni-ties to learn such as the C&S Panel Dis-cussion at the 2009 Annual Railway Track & Structures December & Trainingnology.

4 The first presentation to kickoff the new program was on December7, with AREMA President William Trump describing the successfulUnion Pacific recovery efforts after theFrazier Slide. We certainly see education increas-ing in importance, particularly as indus-try veterans retire and new recruits needto be trained and we intend forAREMA to be a major resource to meetthat increasing need, said Charles Chuck Emely, executive Tech At Michigan TechnologicalUniversity, we currently offer three railspecific, or oriented classes: CE 4405 International Railroad Engineering, CE5408 Public Transit Planning andEngineering and CE 5409 RailroadTrack Engineering and Design, saidPasi Lautala, director rail transporta-tion program.

5 We are planning tointroduce a fourth course, InternationalRailway Seminar in spring, 2011. We realso working on establishing anundergraduate certificate in RailTransportation/Engineering. CE 4405 is offered as part of a 5-week international summer program inrailroad engineering and culturalstudies. This is done partially in , partially in Finland. It is intensive,so students spend 2-3 hours every dayon railroad lectures, unless they are onone of the multiple field visits, either inChicago area or in other courses are 14 weeks, withthree hours of interactive lectures andexercises per those students who don t partici-pate in the official course work, MichiganTech offers opportunities for extracur-ricular rail activities through the RailroadEngineering and Activities Club.

6 Currently students don t graduatewith any official recognition of theirrail studies, but will get BS or MS intheir discipline, he said. However,they possess a good basic level ofunderstanding in rail topics andcompanies can easily recognize that inthe discussions with our year, we hope to introduce anundergraduate/graduate certificate inrail transportation/engineering thatstudents can earn in conjunction withtheir disciplinary studies. People who come to therail indus-try have to understand the multiple al-ternatives offered by it, he said. Theopportunities vary from managementto technical and from large Class 1railroads to smaller regional railroads,and to consultants and suppliers.

7 Thesecond aspect is the importance of non-technical skills. Leadership, communi-cation, financial and management skillsare all increasingly important for anynew employee entering the industry. NARSThe National Academy of RailroadSciences offers more than 100 courses totrain potential and current industryemployees in every type of railroadcraft. NARS affiliation with JohnsonCounty Community College in Over-land Park, Kan., gives access to class-rooms, auditoriums, libraries, andequipment, as well as the benefit ofinstructional experience and who complete the FastTracktraining program also receive JCCC college credits and can apply thosecredits to an Associate of Arts degree.

8 NRCThe National Railway Constructionand Maintenance Association offers aRoadway Worker Protection trainingprogram in conjunction with program,available online or byCD-ROM, if free to NRC members. More than 500 people per year usethis program., which is available inboth English and SpanishThe association is currently finishingup DVDs 7 and 8 in its ongoing safetyDVD program. NRC has been doingtwo a year for the past four years. EachDVD is about 25-30 minutes long, withaprofessional narrator. The scripts aredeveloped by John Zuspan of TheTrack Guy Consultants in conjunctionwith the NRC safety committeemembers, including Stanley Beaver ofBalfour Beatty Rail.

9 Filming is done atactual contractor worksites. NRCmakes 1,000 copies of each DVD anddistributes them free at its annualconference or by mail to all members. We mostly fund these efforts withproceeds from NRC s ContractorEquipment Auction that we do everyApril, said Chuck Baker, president. Feedback has been excellent on theDVDs. Some Future topic ideas includeSafety on a Rail Gang, Safety on a TieGang, Safety around Railway Main-tenance equipment, part 3, and Railway Track & Structures December 2009 29on Bridges and in Tunnels. We plan to continue doing twoayear for the foreseeable Future . The NRC Pocket Safety Manual is offered in bothEnglish and Spanish.

10 It is also complementary to members. NRC has 104 Toolbox Talks available free to members,enough for one a week for two years. NRC also has amodel safety program for a contractor looking to develop anew safety program or enhance the current safety program. Railway Educational Bureau The Railway Educational Bureau, a sister company toRT&S,has been in the business of training the railroadindustry for 100 years, said Pat Kentner, director of REB. Our training programs span many disciplines in the railindustry, including track workers, carmen, mechanics andelectricians. We deliver our training through distancetraining courses, workshops, on-site training and we workwith clients to develop customized training programs.