Promoting workforce planning as a means of embedding a learning culture in the rail sector

Abstract

Reliable intelligence lies at the heart of learning societies. Robust, accessible evidence of current and future skills needs informs policy and planning, helps target investment, improves the quality of education and training, and encourages dialogue and action among stakeholders. Change is continuous and inevitable, but systematic and comprehensive approaches to gathering and using intelligence are essential tools if sectors, communities, and economies are to learn, adapt, and thrive. This chapter discusses how an innovative skills intelligence model designed by the National Academy for Rail in the United Kingdom has been applied to develop a workforce planning strategy for the rail sector. This has enabled the sector to build a continuous learning and training approach that underpins its safe operation, contributes to improved productivity and profitability, and helps to anticipate the impact of potential disruption, including from new technology, demographic trends, and global pandemics.