The ASTONRail project consists of eight Working Groups (WG), WG1 - WG9, in which the Intellectual Outputs are produced. WG5 has been deleted during the approval phase.

WG1 – Output 1: Current teaching practices and methods of rail higher education in Europe

This Intellectual Output (IO1) will be produced within WG1 which will analyse the European portfolio of educational university degree programmes and courses currently offered and related to the rail knowledge and competences available at the moment.

WG2 – Output 2: Industry Expectations and Requirements

This Intellectual Output (IO2) will study and analyse rail industry expectations and requirements for skills development. Currently, the rail transport market is evolving in all areas strategic, technical, technological, operational, digital, telematics, informatics, etc. Therefore, the rail industry, represented by railway infrastructure managers (IMs) and rail undertakings needs rail staff equipped with new skills, competences and advanced knowledge about new technologies. Higher education institutions specialising in rail related subjects must respond to these needs properly.

WG3 – Output 3: Mapping out gaps and mismatches against industry expectations and requirements

This Intellectual Output (IO3) will map out current rail higher education provision against industry expectation and as a result will identify apparent gaps and mismatches.

WG4 – Output 4: A portfolio of new approaches and teaching practices

This Intellectual Output (IO4) will be a portfolio (toolkit) of new teaching and learning methods, approaches, policies and practices for rail skills development.

WG6 – Output 6: ASTONRail intensive study programme

This Intellectual Output (IO6) will take into account all previous results of the ASTONRail partnership project. Specifically the most important lessons learned from: (1) current teaching practices and methods of rail higher education in Europe, (2) industry expectations and requirements, (3) mapping out gaps and mismatches in university education provision against industry expectations and requirements, and (4) portfolio (toolkit) of new approaches and teaching practices for rail skills development. According to the conclusions of each previous activity in the ASTONRail partnership project an intensive study programme in rail will be organized to test all the Intellectual Outputs produced so far.

WG7 – Output 7: Strategies for making the railway sector more attractive to young professionals

This Intellectual Output (IO7) is dedicated to Service structures where we will look for public engagement, raising awareness and outreach to promote careers in the railway sector. This will include a classification of key activities for promotion of opportunities within the railway sector, identification of communication channels and development of an auxiliary material for specific age groups, i.e. pre-higher education, bachelor level, master level and professionals without railway experience.

WG8 – Output 8: ASTONRail Handbook

This Intellectual Output (IO8) will produce the ASTONRail Handbook on building a skilled workforce through next generation methods, policies and practice of effective rail higher education techniques and mechanisms.

WG9 – Output 9: Technical specification profiles of skilled workforce for a vibrant and competent rail sector

A technical specification profile (TSP) for a highly skilled workforce will be developed to specify and standardise the abilities, competences, experience, properties, capabilities and knowledge of a skilled professional working in the railways. Further information about the output will be available on the ASTONRail homepage.