Focus areas

Development of Expertise within Road Maintenance

Visibility

To improve recruitment to the professional field of road operation and maintenance, project group Visibility tries to gain a constant and positive presence of the professional field in the media. The project group also contribute to some of the other project groups’ tasks through the NPRAs website.

Training

Project group Training charts, categorizes, and makes the existing educational opportunities visible for both future and existing staff (further education and in-service-training for the latter). The project also aims at standardizing and improving the existing and somewhat scattered opportunities of today. The standards are anchored in contractual demands. While initiating new textbooks and courses, project group Training communicates today’s opportunities through the NPRAs website and through contacts in both the professional field and Norway’s educational establishments.

Specialisation, research and development

To recruit more specialists and PhD graduates, the project group has so far initiated three doctorate studies and one post-doctoral fellowship. The aim is to increase the pace of development of the professional field and to strengthen future R&D and education. The project group focuses on new technology and future-oriented R&D, while introducing R&D as an element in contracts for road operation and maintenance. New methods of operation and maintenance, including new and experimental equipment form part of the R&D activities.

Transfer of experience

Project group Tranfer of experience works to collect, systematize and disseminate experience-based skills from experienced staff to new colleagues, and from business to business. Both existing and new ICT-systems (Information, Communication and Technology / PC-software) are investigated and considered as future platforms for transferring experience. The project group also charts more traditional and existing arenas, such as the many courses and schools organised by the NPRA for the industry. While examining these future possibilities, the programme invites everyone to send their views based on experience to an e-mail address. Suggestions considered to be great ideas are communicated to those responsible for the various handbooks, prescribing norms and standards for both constructing, operating and maintaining the Norwegian infrastructure.

PROGRESS AND ORGANISATION

The programmes initial phase included surveying and planning, and the programme content was discussed at seminars and meetings with the industry. Focus areas were elaborated and project groups were composed of representatives from the NPRA and various parts of the industry in 2008.

By the end of 2010 and the programmes termination, the aim is to establish solid and functional products (see “Focus areas” for details), and a strong will to pursue the long term development of expertise for road operation and maintenance, both within the NPRA and particularly in the industry.