Premer Statement: Queensland home to new centre of excellence to drive rail jobs

[ozbob]

Premier and Minister for Reconstruction
The Honourable Anna Bligh
29/11/2011

Queensland home to new centre of excellence to drive rail jobs

Premier Anna Bligh today announced the establishment of Rail Skills Australasia - a national centre of excellence to plan for future skills needs in Australia's $17 billion rail sector.

"The Queensland Government has contributed $1.5 million in seed funding to help kick start Rail Skills Australasia," Ms Bligh said.

"Demand for skilled workers has never been greater.

"RSA's role will be critical to ensuring the industry's training and education needs are met," she said.

The Premier said Rail Skills Australasia, a not-for-profit organisation, would hit the ground running by:

   Conducting a rail skills audit throughout the sector, and

   Developing new initiatives such as mentoring and graduate programs

"Queensland is the ideal location for the RSA, with the rail industry contributing more than $3 billion to the State economy and supporting more than 12,000 jobs.

"Mining-fuelled growth will also bring with it increasing demands for transport and freight, so planning now will ensure the rail industry can meet its future needs.

"The RSA will map skill needs and work with all parties to ensure there are workers ready to step into required roles.

"This includes workers to run the rail network and workers for rail manufacturing positions, such as the next generation of engineers, designers, technicians and trainers.

"These skills are vital to ensuring Queensland's 9,000kms of rail network run effectively now and in the coming decades and beyond," she said.

The RSA will lead industry and government engagement on:

   vocational education and training

   higher education

   specialised rail skills development

   industry attraction and retention strategies, and

   whole-of-industry workforce planning to meet the demand for professional and skilled jobs.

The membership-based RSA includes rail industry firms and peak sectoral bodies.

[SurfRail]

Wonder if this includes training timetablers? 

[somebody]

Wonder if this includes training timetablers? 

Hope not.  They should be trained outside the English speaking world.

[Stillwater]

Let the first graduates be fettlers, highly skilled in hitting a dog spike, so we can get moving on the oft-promised SC duplication.   

[BrizCommuter]

Isn't it politicians who need more training in rail, not graduates?

[ozbob]

Isn't it politicians who need more training in rail, not graduates?

Indeed.