Name: Expert insight: a deep dive into heavy haul
Uploaded: 2023-11-03T02:54:28.466Z
Duration: 490.17

Deep Dive into Heavy Haul 2.mp4

Deep Dive into Heavy Haul.vtt

Subtitles

{{00:00:12}}
There's a huge demand for skills
in the rail industry with a 150

{{00:00:15}}
billion dollar pipeline of work
coming over the next 10 to 12 years.

{{00:00:19}}
We know it's a real challenge.

{{00:00:21}}
We are looking at ways to try and
help industry collaborate better to

{{00:00:25}}
direct the right skills into exciting
rail careers in a way that we've never

{{00:00:30}}
seen before and trying to understand
what pathways can be built to transfer

{{00:00:36}}
skills from relevant other industries.

{{00:00:45}}
I think the rail industry is all too
aware that diversity brings with it

{{00:00:47}}
a whole suite of benefits that we
really need to try and make use of.

{{00:00:51}}
Trying to find creative ways of building
career pathways that don't necessarily

{{00:00:56}}
start on the ground, on track, or in
operations, in yards is an important

{{00:01:01}}
way to try and cultivate career
pathways that appeal to different types

{{00:01:04}}
of people with different skill sets.

{{00:01:07}}
And I think presenting the industry
as a modern, digital, innovative

{{00:01:11}}
place to be will attract all sorts of
people who may not have traditionally

{{00:01:14}}
thought about a rail career.

{{00:01:22}}
Skills for the future of
rail are really diverse.

{{00:01:25}}
We've been having a lot of conversations
with industry about what they're

{{00:01:27}}
going to need, particularly to
support the exciting decarbonisation

{{00:01:30}}
journey for above rail operations.

{{00:01:33}}
And I think it's demonstrated
that we're going to need a

{{00:01:35}}
hell of a lot more capacity in
electrical engineering and trades.

{{00:01:39}}
And so we need to get creative
about creating exciting career

{{00:01:42}}
pathways for those people into rail.

{{00:01:50}}
The rail industry is incredibly welcoming.

{{00:01:52}}
As a relatively new entrant to the
rail sector, I have experienced real

{{00:01:58}}
warmth in welcoming me to the sector
and educating me about all things rail.

{{00:02:03}}
From getting on shiploaders and coal and
iron ore trains across the country to

{{00:02:08}}
being out in depots and yards, I think
there is a thirst for collaboration and to

{{00:02:12}}
be able to share information about what is
quite an exciting industry, which doesn't

{{00:02:17}}
have the profile it deserves in Australia.

{{00:02:25}}
We've talked a lot about collaboration
with members and we continue to

{{00:02:28}}
find, try and find pathways to make
collaboration easier and more practical.

{{00:02:33}}
Often I think commercial constraints
and intellectual property concerns

{{00:02:37}}
get in the way of being able to
tackle common problems together.

{{00:02:41}}
But we're finding much better ways
in the skills space and hopefully

{{00:02:44}}
develop some models that we can
use in research and development

{{00:02:47}}
and other innovation challenges.

{{00:02:54}}
The rail industry is very good at hiding
its light in Australia, and unfortunately

{{00:03:00}}
I think that's one of the reasons why
we find it challenging to attract the

{{00:03:03}}
skills that we need into what is a
much more digital and dynamic industry

{{00:03:08}}
than it is recognised as in Australia.

{{00:03:10}}
I think we are doing some great
work at the ARA trying to build

{{00:03:14}}
a new platform to attract people
into rail called Work in Rail.

{{00:03:17}}
I encourage you to get involved and
make sure your company's profiled.

{{00:03:28}}
Building a culture that is
inclusive is really around making

{{00:03:32}}
sure that everyone belongs.

{{00:03:34}}
So it's setting the expectation up
front that every single person is

{{00:03:40}}
special in their own way and that
they all have a place to contribute

{{00:03:44}}
in the organizations that we work in.

{{00:03:53}}
The story of the rail industry comes from
really being out there with the asset.

{{00:03:58}}
So you bold your stories by walking track
with an old grey haired track inspector.

{{00:04:04}}
You bold the stories by spending enough
time seeing an asset deteriorate.

{{00:04:09}}
I remember my young days on the
coal export corridor knowing

{{00:04:14}}
exactly how a turnout deteriorated,
where the soft spots were.

{{00:04:19}}
I could tell you the exact location and
how many times we failed at things and

{{00:04:24}}
then learned very quickly from that,
just by watching things go by in time.

{{00:04:30}}
That's the advantage of heavy haul.

{{00:04:31}}
You get to see deterioration
of the results of any of your

{{00:04:34}}
decisions within three months.

{{00:04:36}}
So it's a very steep fast learning curve.

{{00:04:39}}
So your storylines really come from
just being out there, looking at the

{{00:04:43}}
asset and giving it time, sticking
around long enough to actually

{{00:04:46}}
see the results of your decisions.

{{00:04:54}}
The rail journey has been
exciting since day one.

{{00:04:57}}
Day one started with being mentored
by the most amazing engineers in

{{00:05:02}}
industry internationally and every
step of the way given the opportunity

{{00:05:07}}
to get into situations or jobs or
roles that I didn't believe I was

{{00:05:12}}
ready for, but you're never ready.

{{00:05:14}}
So take the leap when you have
someone that's a mentor that's

{{00:05:18}}
giving you the opportunity to
do something wildly different.

{{00:05:21}}
Which takes me to where I am today as
the Fortescue Rail General Manager, an

{{00:05:26}}
opportunity to work in an environment
where we want to decarbonize our

{{00:05:30}}
railway with intense targets as well.

{{00:05:34}}
It's such an opportunity.

{{00:05:36}}
It's just that allowance to be brave
and to have a chance, giving it a

{{00:05:41}}
crack, to do something different and
contribute to the world that we live in.

{{00:05:53}}
Increasing inclusion and
diversity means two things to me.

{{00:05:57}}
Firstly, how do we attract
people to the industry?

{{00:06:00}}
And then, how do we make them feel
welcome enough to have their opinions

{{00:06:03}}
be really valued and included?

{{00:06:06}}
I think of an old saying, you can't
solve today's problems with the same

{{00:06:10}}
thinking that created them yesterday.

{{00:06:12}}
This is why we have to have increased
diversity in our businesses.

{{00:06:18}}
It's pretty hard not to get excited
about the challenges that are in the rail

{{00:06:20}}
industry, particularly decarbonisation
and the new technology options.

{{00:06:25}}
So I think we have a natural
platform for people to want to be

{{00:06:29}}
part of the companies that's solving
these really tricky problems.

{{00:06:33}}
And then the part about making
people feel safe and having them

{{00:06:36}}
feel like their opinions are heard,
much more difficult problem to solve.

{{00:06:40}}
And you know, really the job of the
leaders and solving these problems

{{00:06:45}}
means people having a safe place
to try, a safe environment to fail.

{{00:06:52}}
And particularly when we have R&D and
new technology, you have to have an

{{00:06:55}}
environment where that is the case.

{{00:06:57}}
Where people can fail and
where they can try things.

{{00:07:00}}
Otherwise we'll never get any
new ideas and realistically the

{{00:07:03}}
industry needs new ideas now.

{{00:07:13}}
Incorporating new technology into
the design and planning process is

{{00:07:17}}
actually more tricky than it sounds.

{{00:07:20}}
Particularly when the technology either
doesn't exist or doesn't exist at scale

{{00:07:24}}
for heavy haul industries already.

{{00:07:27}}
So this means combining both a
formal R&D framework with a more

{{00:07:31}}
traditional studies framework that
large capital investments require.

{{00:07:36}}
I think both need to be done and the
skill sets in both these areas are

{{00:07:41}}
abundantly available in this industry.

{{00:07:43}}
In particular the R&D space, having people
who understand that framework and who can

{{00:07:49}}
really scale these new technologies with
you and then following a more traditional

{{00:07:54}}
studies process allows us to have really
robust estimates and robust processes

{{00:08:01}}
that incorporate technology and new ideas.

There's a huge demand for skills
in the rail industry with a 150

billion dollar pipeline of work
coming over the next 10 to 12 years.

We are looking at ways to try and
help industry collaborate better to

direct the right skills into exciting
rail careers in a way that we've never

seen before and trying to understand
what pathways can be built to transfer

I think the rail industry is all too
aware that diversity brings with it

a whole suite of benefits that we
really need to try and make use of.

Trying to find creative ways of building
career pathways that don't necessarily

start on the ground, on track, or in
operations, in yards is an important

way to try and cultivate career
pathways that appeal to different types

And I think presenting the industry
as a modern, digital, innovative

place to be will attract all sorts of
people who may not have traditionally

Skills for the future of
rail are really diverse.

We've been having a lot of conversations
with industry about what they're

going to need, particularly to
support the exciting decarbonisation

And I think it's demonstrated
that we're going to need a

hell of a lot more capacity in
electrical engineering and trades.

And so we need to get creative
about creating exciting career

The rail industry is incredibly welcoming.

As a relatively new entrant to the
rail sector, I have experienced real

warmth in welcoming me to the sector
and educating me about all things rail.

From getting on shiploaders and coal and
iron ore trains across the country to

being out in depots and yards, I think
there is a thirst for collaboration and to

be able to share information about what is
quite an exciting industry, which doesn't

have the profile it deserves in Australia.

We've talked a lot about collaboration
with members and we continue to

find, try and find pathways to make
collaboration easier and more practical.

Often I think commercial constraints
and intellectual property concerns

get in the way of being able to
tackle common problems together.

But we're finding much better ways
in the skills space and hopefully

develop some models that we can
use in research and development

The rail industry is very good at hiding
its light in Australia, and unfortunately

I think that's one of the reasons why
we find it challenging to attract the

skills that we need into what is a
much more digital and dynamic industry

I think we are doing some great
work at the ARA trying to build

a new platform to attract people
into rail called Work in Rail.

I encourage you to get involved and
make sure your company's profiled.

Building a culture that is
inclusive is really around making

So it's setting the expectation up
front that every single person is

special in their own way and that
they all have a place to contribute

The story of the rail industry comes from
really being out there with the asset.

So you bold your stories by walking track
with an old grey haired track inspector.

You bold the stories by spending enough
time seeing an asset deteriorate.

I remember my young days on the
coal export corridor knowing

exactly how a turnout deteriorated,
where the soft spots were.

I could tell you the exact location and
how many times we failed at things and

then learned very quickly from that,
just by watching things go by in time.

You get to see deterioration
of the results of any of your

So it's a very steep fast learning curve.

So your storylines really come from
just being out there, looking at the

asset and giving it time, sticking
around long enough to actually

The rail journey has been
exciting since day one.

Day one started with being mentored
by the most amazing engineers in

industry internationally and every
step of the way given the opportunity

to get into situations or jobs or
roles that I didn't believe I was

So take the leap when you have
someone that's a mentor that's

giving you the opportunity to
do something wildly different.

Which takes me to where I am today as
the Fortescue Rail General Manager, an

opportunity to work in an environment
where we want to decarbonize our

It's just that allowance to be brave
and to have a chance, giving it a

crack, to do something different and
contribute to the world that we live in.

Increasing inclusion and
diversity means two things to me.

Firstly, how do we attract
people to the industry?

And then, how do we make them feel
welcome enough to have their opinions

I think of an old saying, you can't
solve today's problems with the same

This is why we have to have increased
diversity in our businesses.

It's pretty hard not to get excited
about the challenges that are in the rail

industry, particularly decarbonisation
and the new technology options.

So I think we have a natural
platform for people to want to be

part of the companies that's solving
these really tricky problems.

And then the part about making
people feel safe and having them

feel like their opinions are heard,
much more difficult problem to solve.

And you know, really the job of the
leaders and solving these problems

means people having a safe place
to try, a safe environment to fail.

And particularly when we have R&D and
new technology, you have to have an

Where people can fail and
where they can try things.

Otherwise we'll never get any
new ideas and realistically the

Incorporating new technology into
the design and planning process is

Particularly when the technology either
doesn't exist or doesn't exist at scale

Heavy Haul Rail

Expert Insight

Hear insights from three different Heavy Haul rail professionals around how the rail industry is adapting to meet the growing demand for skills and career diversity with a $150 billion work pipeline over the next decade. Each speaker explores innovative approaches to attract and nurture talent, foster collaboration, and incorporate cutting-edge technology to address the challenges and opportunities in the dynamic world of rail.
