Abstract

The railway industry is a complex industry that requires highly skilled employees to improve its performance. However, it is facing challenges due to a severe skills gap in crucial areas such as engineering and management. A literature review was conducted to identify the critical skills and strategies to address the skills gap in the railway industry. A qualitative research study in the form of a focus group discussion with experts from the railway industry was conducted to determine the interrelationship between the different critical skills and the interrelationship between the different strategies to address the skills gap through interpretive structural modelling. The MICMAC analysis was applied to determine the driving power and dependence power between the different critical skills and the different strategies to address the skills gap. Microsoft Excel was used for analysing the data. The findings demonstrate a relationship between all the various critical skills and various strategies to address the skills gap, which was discovered through a literature review and focus group discussions, and they are all related to the railway industry. The study concludes that for railway companies to improve operations and performance, they must prioritise key critical skills and strategies to address the skills gap.