Building Stronger Rail Workforce Partnerships in Newcastle

Industry Skills Australia’s Rail Industry Engagement Manager, Carly Grigg, made the most of a productive visit to Newcastle this week, engaging with key rail industry stakeholders across a series of collaborative events.

The visit began with the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) networking dinner, marking the ARA’s first dinner event held in Newcastle. The event was well attended, providing valuable opportunities to connect with senior rail industry leaders, so much so that a larger venue may be needed next year. Keynote speaker Pat Cooper shared insights into the world‑leading coordination role of the Hunter Valley Coal Chain Coordinator and highlighted the critical importance of rail to the region’s operations.

Reflecting on the event, Carly Grigg said,

“It was a great opportunity to connect with industry leaders and hear firsthand how critical rail is to the success of the region. The level of engagement on the night really demonstrated the strength and momentum of the rail sector in Newcastle.”

The visit included participation in ARTC’s Annual RTO Workshop Collab, hosted by Jenna Chandler and the ARTC team, alongside several of their registered training organisation partners: Accell Competency Australia; Iron Training & Consulting (ITC); Training Ahead Australia (TAA); Southern Cross Civil & Rail Training; and The Instruction Company (TIC).

The workshop is the third annual RTO Onsite Collab in Newcastle ran by ARTC’s National Training team, which saw its largest turnout since commencing in 2024. It brought together rail infrastructure, safeworking and signalling training providers to discuss shared workforce challenges, exchange organisational insights and strengthen cross‑sector collaboration.

As a guest speaker, Carly Grigg shared insights on current rail workforce challenges and emerging themes from national roundtable discussions. Participants also heard from other speakers who provided updates on the National Safeworking Framework, considered the impact of updated medical assessment standards, and reviewed feedback from recent safeworking recertification surveys. The sessions provided valuable opportunities to explore how collaboration and working together can support streamlined processes and more consistent training approaches across the sector, with discussions continuing over a team dinner at the conclusion of the day.

The final stop of the visit included a site tour at Swietelsky Rail, hosted by Anne Connors and her team. The visit showcased the organisation’s strong ‘family‑first’ culture and provided an opportunity to explore how training is integrated into local and enterprise‑specific requirements. Specialising in rail asset management, including mechanised ballast cleaning, resurfacing, rail construction and integrated maintenance, Swietelsky Rail staff also discussed opportunities to engage with ISA projects and highlighted areas within units of competency for potential review.

“Seeing how training is applied on the ground is invaluable,” Carly said. “It helps ensure that nationally recognised training continues to align with real operational needs and supports both businesses and the workforce.”

The Newcastle visit reinforced the value of collaboration across industry, training providers and government in addressing shared workforce challenges and supporting a skilled, safe and sustainable rail workforce.