The professional engineer works with complex engineering problems – beyond what is defined in a standard and hence significant engineering judgement is required. The railway control systems professional engineer needs to understand how these judgements will affect not only the railway control system but also the railway system-of-systems that it lives within.
As discussed previously, I recommend that after the two-year graduate rotation program there should be an education program that covers railway control systems engineering in depth (as per the engineering technologist education) and also the railway system-of-systems in breadth at the professional engineer level.
Note that this education program is developing professional engineers within the engineering specialisation of railway control systems engineering. Therefore the graduate attributes are as per the Washington Accord.
A professional engineer qualification is at the AQF level 8. As will be discussed later, for practical reasons, it may need to be at a higher level.
These requirements can be fulfilled by:
- Washington Accord degree (or equivalent qualification) in electrical engineering (or related – e.g. mechatronics)
- Learning outcomes of the IRSE Professional Exam Modules A, B, C and D (as for engineering technologists)
- A Railway System module (to develop and demonstrate an understanding of the railway system-of-systems)
- A research project module (to develop and demonstrate a higher level of judgement in the railway control systems context).
The Railway System module should include:
- Railway business and economics
- Railway strategy and planning
- Project management
- Engineering management
- Human factors / ergonomics
- Railway operations
- Safeworking
- Rolling stock
- Structures
- Tunnels
- Stations
- Permanent way
- Electrification
- Power.