Traditionally known as an industry built on steady career paths and highly specialised roles, the rail sector has begun a campaign of re-invention and re-packaging, and so far the feedback from recruits has been positive.
Ravi Ravitharan, Business Manager of the Institute of Railway Technology at Monash University and immediate past Chairman of the Railway Technical Society of Australasia, notes that a recent ‘Meet The Railway People Expo’ in Melbourne was rated a strong success. Aimed at engineering graduates, the expo saw about 30 organisations represented, plus 120 representatives from eight universities.
“For about a decade, from about the early 1990s, there was not much recruitment of engineers by companies in the rail sector,” says Ravitharan. “Much of that had to do with the privatisations in the industry, which put the emphasis on cutting costs. The result is that there is now something of a demographic hole in the industry workforce, with a lot of people due to retire in the foreseeable future and not enough people coming up behind them.”
Ravitharan believes that many companies have recognised the problem and have become more innovative in their recruitment efforts, with active campus recruitment programs as well as offerings such as vacation work and internships. Within the engineering category, the specialisations most sought are in construction, signalling, and rolling stock maintenance, although many companies are willing to provide further training to people with general engineering qualifications. There is also a greater willingness for companies to allow people to move between specialisations and roles.
“At the expo, we heard from graduates who had gone into the rail sector and, within a fairly short time, found themselves in positions of significant responsibility, managing teams and even whole projects,” Ravitharan says. “There have also been some key changes in pay scales, to the point where it is quite realistic for a good graduate to expect a package of around $80,000 within three years.”
The industry’s efforts to become more dynamic extend to non-graduate recruitment, with temporary and contract workers increasingly used to supplement existing workforces. Victoria is the most advanced in this respect although other states are moving in the same direction.
“It is not uncommon for us to send 100 people a week to rail projects in Victoria alone,” says Dave Blower, National Business Development Manager for OnlineRail, a company which specialises in providing contract staff. “There is a real shortage of experienced labour, and no sign of any change on the horizon – expect maybe with shortages becoming even tighter as the government infrastructure program picks up pace.
“The biggest area of shortfall is experienced supervisors. There is a problem because contract employees cannot certify a track project as complete and safe, as that requires special qualifications. But the issue is being addressed with new training courses, so hopefully we can get over that. “Traditionally, a lot of companies and government authorities responsible for real construction did not like the idea of contract employment. But they have come to appreciate the flexibility that it offers, and obviously there are many people who prefer to work on a contract basis.”
Blower notes that most contract employees do not come from a specialist rail background but instead have general trade qualifications. “We provide additional specialist training, and new people are always sent out with an experienced person,” he notes. “We keep a close watch on the number of workplace accidents to ensure that the training and supervision is suitable, and so far the system is working well. And I can say that anyone with specialist rail expertise who comes to us – or any other contract labour company – is going to be snapped up as soon as they walk through the door.”
Ravi Ravitharan agrees that the labour profile of the rail industry is undergoing radical change, and acknowledges that rail companies have to keep working to improve their chances of attracting the best people.“In the past, unfortunately, the rail sector was often not the first career choice for good people, whether they had engineering degrees or trade qualifications,” he says. “We are changing that but there is still a long way to go before we have a positive, permanent presence in the marketplace. Our goal is to be in the front rank of career choices.”
Author: Derek Parker, freelance journalist. Article appeard in The Australian.