Australasian Railway Association Skills Capabilty Study
AUSTRALASIAN RAILWAY ASSOCIATION SKILLS CAPABILTY STUDY SKILLS CRISIS: A CALL TO ACTION NOVEMBER 2018 FOREWORD We are living through a renaissance of investment in rail. Projects such as Cross River Rail in Brisbane, Inland Rail, Sydney and Melbourne Metros, the Level Crossing Replacement Program, the Metronet project in Perth, rail extensions in South Australia, expansion of rail lines in the Pilbara, and numerous light rail projects in cities across the country, are heralding this renaissance. New Zealand too, is experiencing a deepening focus on rail. But this hasn’t always been the case. Rail investment stagnation, stop-start funding cycles and short term cost cutting have been a feature of the Australian rail sector since the 1980s. And one of the consequences has been the collapse in investment in training and skills development of the people to build our infrastructure and to operate and maintain first class rail services. This is a clear case of market failure. ARA commissioned this Report to undertake a workforce capability analysis based on planned and forecast rail infrastructure development in Australia and New Zealand over the next 10 years, with implications for a range of rail industry skills across construction, manufacturing, operations and maintenance. And to determine strategies to address them. The term supply and demand is well understood in the marketplace. However, as to rail skills in the current investment environment, it is a case of ‘demand and no supply.’ This is the crisis that this Report seeks to address. We welcome the massive investment in all aspects of rail now underway. This is crucial for our economic growth and improving amenity in our cities and regions.
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