Professor Simon Iwnicki began his railway career at the National Coal Board, improving the performance of locomotives with rubber tyres. In the subsequent 30 years, he has played a substantial role in developing the quality of rail engineering education and research in the UK, establishing both the Rail Technology Unit at Manchester Metropolitan University and the Institute of Railway Research at the University of Huddersfield.
In his role as chairman of the IMechE Railway Division, Professor Iwnicki is currently delivering his chairman’s address, entitled ‘Railway Engineering for the next generation’ at all of the IMechE regional centres around the country, concentrating on the role of education and research in railway engineering.
The role of universities
Recent growth in passenger and freight demand plus new investment together with an ageing workforce and increased use of technology has resulted in an increasing skills shortage. There are currently many popular degree courses in automotive and aerospace engineering but very few in railway engineering.
What Iwnicki is keen to demonstrate in his address is that Britain’s universities are taking up the challenge, establishing groups and organising events focussed on encouraging young people to consider a career in railway engineering and supporting those entering the industry.
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Says Professor Iwnicki, ‘Applications to engineering degree courses are up, acceptances into engineering courses have increased 20 per cent over the last seven years. There were 23,000 graduates in engineering and technology in 2012 but the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) estimates that 3,100 new technicians/engineers are required by the railway industry in the next five years, including up to 1,500 in traction and rolling stock alone.
‘Currently only 16 per cent of railway engineering employees are qualified to level 4 or above (post A level). Looking forward to the challenges the industry faces to deliver cost efficiencies and the introduction of new technology, this clearly needs to increase significantly – so where will these highly skilled people come from and how will we attract them into the industry?’
One way universities are promoting rail engineering is through the Smallpeice Trust residential courses for year 11 students. Run at the University of Birmingham and the University of Huddersfield, the courses aim to show students that a career in railway engineering is interesting, challenging and rewarding.
The Railway Challenge, set up and run by the IMechE Railway Division, also aims to make young people aware of the interesting challenges facing railway engineers. It is a competition designed for teams of engineering students studying at a university or apprentices working in industry. Teams are required to design and manufacture a miniature (101⁄4” gauge) railway locomotive in accordance with a set of rules and a technical specification.
The IMechE Railway Division Skills Task Force group has been set up with the aim of addressing some of the key issues which are acting as a barrier to the entry of new people into the railway industry.
The group has only had one meeting so far but is already working on a monitored professional development scheme for engineering technicians.
A ‘Future Rail Skills seminar’ is being organised by NSARE and the IMechE. This will take place at IMechE headquarters in Birdcage Walk on 12 November this year and will look in detail at the skills shortage in a number of key areas, including ERTMS, and at some examples of what is being done to tackle this.
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Research legacy
The UK has a tremendous legacy of research from the early pre grouping laboratories, to the major facilities set up by the big four companies, to the internationally leading research carried out in a number of areas by BR Research. Professor Iwnicki indicated that since privatisation the majority of ongoing research is now carried out by universities but this can make integration with engineers in industry difficult and that this was the impetus for several initiatives. The Advanced Railway Research Centre (ARRC), set up in 1994 at the University of Sheffield with funding from the BR Board, and Rail Research UK (RRUK), a consortium of seven universities formed in 2003 and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) were early examples.
When the EPSRC funding for RRUK came to an end, RSSB and Network Rail stepped in to fund the core activities and provide a secretariat and in 2010 RRUK-A (Rail Research UK Association) was formed. The association is a partnership between the GB rail industry and Britain’s universities and aims to be an effective bridge between industry and universities. It aims to encompass all academic research that can be of benefit to the railway industry and now includes 43 university members.
‘The publication of the Rail Technical Strategy in 2012 has been a great boost to railway research in the UK,’ says Professor Iwnicki. ‘In setting out the long-term industry strategy, it has allowed researchers to shape their research programmes and supported bids to research funders and bringing additional resources into the sector.’
Professor Iwnicki is currently delivering his address throughout the UK.
