| Brief Description of Research Project | Turnover in a rapidly aging workforce threatens to degrade relevant expertise in the railroad industry. New railroad hires often have little knowledge of proper practices, and the opportunity for learning by working alongside experienced workers is decreasing.
With their large employee population, Class I railroads can justify internal training programs for many needs. However, the smaller Class II and III railroads, public agencies, rail served industries, and transit railroads must generally look to external sources for workforce training and continuing education.
Recognizing these issues, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) offers rail related continuing education. Courses in track inspection, bridge Inspection, track design, and track maintenance. The objective of this project is to update and expand these course materials, with a particular emphasis on incorporating content relevant to the NURail theme of share rail corridors and reflecting the findings of NURail research. |