Start date: 03/01/2023
End date: 25/08/2023
Leading organisation: Technische Hochschule Wildau
Participating organisations: Aston University, Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, EURNEX e.V., Zilinska univerzita v Ziline, Sveuciliste u Zagrebu, Universidad de Málaga.

The aim of the WG was to produce the ASTONRail Handbook on building a skilled workforce through next generation methods, policies and practice of effective rail higher education techniques and mechanisms.

The following has been done in the WG:

• Selection of an appropriate platform to implement the handbook as a living document: Requirements for a modern and innovative handbook are an innovative format easily accessible for all users and it should be dynamic and flexible to ensure continuous updates of new content related findings. The handbook should be available public for different user groups and it should be living after the project lifetime to ensure a sustainable outcome. Therefor it was decided to create a wiki handbook using the software DokuWiki.
• Identification of user groups and their interest in the handbook: As user groups future students, students and graduates as well as Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and teachers were identified.
• Development of the handbook structure, following the user groups.
• Installation and setup of the DokuWiki software.
• Adaption of the DokuWiki to store different information in different databases.
• Analysis and collection of existing content from WG 1-4 and WG 6, transfer of some parts to a wiki database, adaption and integration into the requirements of the wiki platform and the designed handbook.
• Development of additional content, e.g. development of the ASTONRail methods catalogue, and integration into the wiki handbook.
• Review and formatting of the handbook.

The handbook was implemented as a wiki format that lives by contribution of railway sector stakeholders. Every user can get a login and can contribute to the further refinement of the handbook.

The ASTONRail handbook should support:

• Future students in doing their first step towards a career in railways,
• Students and graduates in finding their job e.g. in the railway industry and
• Higher Education Institutions and teachers in getting ideas for modernizing rail teaching.

The wiki handbook is innovative and flexible, individually adaptable to cover new findings and to stay up to date and it supports the railway sector beyond the ASTONRail project lifetime.

The structure of the handbook follows the identified user groups:
Future students:

• Future students can find a rail related study course in the ASTONRail database and get information about career perspectives and job profiles in railways in the ASTONRail partner countries.
• Wiki users can add or revise study courses and links to keep this database, which did not exist so far, up to date.

Students and graduates:

• Students and graduates can get information in the wiki what the most demanded skill groups of the industry are and can inform themselves about the results of the ASTONRail surveys on the expectation of new employees from the railway industry. In a collection of national job offer portals students and graduates get information on where to find a job in railways.
• Wiki users can add or revise links.

HEI and teachers:

• HEI and teachers can get information about how to innovate or improve rail teaching in theory and in practice.
• The ASTONRail methods catalogue, developed in the project, shows teaching and learning types, methods and assessment methods. The types and methods are described in detail and equipped with best practice examples from the ASTONRail partnership to show how the types and methods can be used in rail teaching and learning.
• Wiki users can contribute to the further development of the handbook by adding teaching and learning types, methods or assessment methods applicable in rail teaching and learning and by adding best practice examples from their experience.

Additionally the handbook offers information on:

• EQF-levels and the Rail Career Matrix
• The most important information about the ASTONRail project and outputs