Rail - Digital Skills Analysis Project

10 April 2025

The Rail Industry 2024 Workforce Plan identified that the future of the rail sector is digital. 

Digitisation of rail enables the delivery of benefits to passengers, freight users, broader society and to the rail industry itself.

However, the Workforce Plan noted that skills shortages are impacting industry’s ability to operate and maintain a range of digital, automated and other new technologies related to rail signalling, critical communications, asset management, track maintenance, high speed, autonomous and remotely operated rail. 

To address this there is an urgent need to build the digital capability of the Rail workforce.

In response, ISA’s Rail Digital Skills Project has developed Digital Occupation Profiles (DOPs), based on the Australian Digital Capability Framework (ADCF), for the following occupations: 

• Railway Track Worker
• Train Driver
• Train Controller
• Railway Track Plant Operator
• Track Protection Officer  

These DOPs, based on the ADCF, define the digital knowledge, skills and proficiency levels that workers in these occupations need to possess to adequately perform their tasks. They were developed in collaboration with subject matter experts from across Australia.

How do the DOPs benefit industry?

• Capture new and emerging digital capabilities needed by the workforce
• Support identification of skills gaps and targeting of workforce development initiatives
• Help the design of job advertisements to attract a broader pool of candidates

Recommendations from the Project and Next Steps

The digital skills identified in the DOPs were mapped against existing units of competency in the TLI Transport and Logistics Training Package. 

The following actions were recommended:

1. Review the following units of competency:

        -  TLIK2010 - Use infotechnology devices in the workplace

        -  TLIE4033 - Use communications systems to control tram/light rail operations

        -  TLIL4074 - Control and coordinate rail traffic movement

        -  TLIW5001 - Apply rail communications systems

2. Develop two new units of competency to address digital sharing and engagement, focusing on topic like cybersecurity, digital communication, and data management.

Next steps: ISAs Strategic Workforce Planning Committee will review the recommendations for the Training Package to determine the timing of the review and revision of the units of competency.

3. Review DigComp 2.2 to enable its use in the Australian VET system and promote usage of DOPs to help identify digital competency gaps in Training Package Products.

Next steps: DigComp 2.2 is an international framework that identifies the key components of digital competence for citizens across five focus areas, 21 specific competences and 8 proficiency levels. The Australian Government is looking to use DigComp 2.2 as Australia’s digital capability framework moving forward (changing from ADCF), with formal arrangements expected to be finalised by mid-2025.

To continue to build on the work of the Rail Digital Skills Project ISA is looking to complete more DOPs in Rail and across all ISA industry coverage using DigComp 2.2.

Industry Skills Australia (ISA) has commenced the Rail Digital Skills Analysis Project in response to skills shortages impacting the industry's digital technology capability in rail signaling, safety critical communications, asset management, track maintenance, high-speed, autonomous, and remote systems.

These shortages are impacting how the rail industry manages technologies and is redefining crucial skills needed for both work and education, highlighting the necessity for digital literacy to participate effectively.

Five occupations will be analysed focusing on their digital skills. These occupations are: Railway Track Worker, Train Driver, Train Controller, Railway Track Plant Operator and Track Protection Officer.

The Australian Digital Capability Framework (ADCF) provides the mechanism to improve and identify generic digital capability requirements in different occupations. A tool developed from the ADCF called a Digital Occupational Profile (DOP) will assist in the project to define the knowledge, skills and proficiency levels that a professional must possess to adequately perform the tasks that require digital capability in their occupation.

The DOP allows industry to detail their skills, how they view and describe them, and at the same time it also allows the categorisation of those skills into the ADCF, assisting in identifying the skills in a common language for transferability, promoting their application across occupations.

Five Digital Occupational Profiles (DOP):

• Railway Track Worker
• Train Driver
• Train Controller
• Railway Track Plant Operator
• Track Protection Officer

To complete a DOP on the above occupations, we will undertake the following steps:

• EOI for subject matter experts for five working groups, linked to the occupations
• Working groups formed to complete five DOP via at least two workshops per occupation to analyse digital skills to establish the digital aspects of their professional tasks and to describe the specific content of the digital capabilities
• Public consultation completed of the DOP
• Review feedback from public consultation with working groups

The DOP can be used by industry to assist in their development for the workforce and digital skills needed.

The five Digital Occupational Profiles are due to be submitted to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations by 30 January 2025.

Expressions of Interest closed on Tuesday, 23 July 2024

Draft Digital Occupational Profiles for the following roles have been developed by Working Groups of subject matter experts and Industry Skills Australia would like your feedback:

•    Railway Track Worker
•    Train Driver
•    Train Controller 
•    Railway Track Plant Operator 
•    Track Protection Officer

These profiles define the necessary knowledge, skills, and proficiency levels for digital tasks in these roles, utilising the Australian Digital Capability Framework (ADCF).

26 September 2024

Public Consultation commenced on Thursday, 26 September and closed on Monday, 28 October 2024.