Combined effort to prepare future rail construction and maintenance workers
We may not yet be in construction in Queensland, but we're supporting organisations to prepare future rail construction and maintenance workers.
December 18, 2020
The Career Start Rail Skills program is a partnership between Energy Skills Queensland (ESQ) and Centre for Excellence in Rail Training (CERT). It has been delivered from the Workshops Rail Museum in North Ipswich since 2018, skilling up locals for work in rail infrastructure construction and maintenance work.
The current intake is delivered with support from Inland Rail’s Indigenous Participation team in an effort to prepare local Traditional Owner and other Indigenous community members for employment on the Inland Rail project once it comes to Queensland from early 2022.
Seven of the 12 participants are Indigenous, with the remainder from refugee and Anglo-Australian backgrounds.
The program gives participants the knowledge and skills required to enter the rail industry as a track worker, installer or maintainer. On average, more than two-thirds of ESQ’s previous program graduates have successfully secured work in the industry.
The training focuses on safe workplace practices and fatigue management, correct handling and use of materials, tools and equipment, and the correct installation and repair of railway sleepers and tracks.
