Since there are relatively few certified railway engineers in Estonia, we took the reins in 2020 and decided to expand the Estonian railway education path in cooperation with TalTech, thanks to which it is possible Starting from the 2022/2023 academic year, in addition to the road and bridge disciplines, you can also study railway construction through open learning!
The curriculum is intended for anyone who wishes to acquire knowledge related to infrastructure and railway planning, design and construction, and the aim of the curriculum is to prepare project managers and specialists in the field of infrastructure construction with additional knowledge of the railway profession and attitudes appropriate to an engineer.
"We have put together a detailed and comprehensive program, as a result of which a student or someone joining through the open university will get a proper overview of railway construction and what it entails," explains Arto Lille, Senior Project Manager for Facilities and Main Line at Rail Baltic Estonia, explaining the reasons behind the study program.
As early as the 2023/2024 academic year, you can also study railway transport at the bachelor's level at Tallinn University of Technology!
“Previously, you could acquire a specialized education in a very narrow niche, and many people came to study for the sake of the so-called paper,” notes Mihhail Kirejev, lecturer in rail transport and head of the curriculum at Tallinn University of Applied Sciences. “However, the railway sector is no longer just laying tracks or driving trains. It is a very broad field, covering, for example, engineering, environmental impact assessment, management, ICT, and energy. Rail transport is also not limited by national borders, it is an international area.”
"We have developed the new curriculum, which will come into effect in the autumn, based on real workforce needs and future prospects, and have also consulted with leaders of leading technical universities in Germany and Austria. We clearly took a broad-based approach, so the new curriculum should support the provision of education that meets the expectations of the labor market," he adds.
It is still too early to say whether and how much interest there will be in the renewed railway transport specialty at the TKTK, because the first flight studying under the new program will begin in the fall. “If we look at our own recent logistics seminar for high school students and students, the active participation and very substantive discussions with young people confirm that interest in the specialty is growing and that science subjects in general are becoming more popular,” says the TKTK lecturer. “It is certainly motivating for young people that they can participate in the modernization of our railway network – increasing speeds and comfort, ensuring safety.”
