Railroad industry courses offered at the college
By Rachel Luchmun
Railroad industry courses are available at the college through the National Academy of Railroad Science (NARS), a partnership between the college and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad.
The courses, which range in length from four to eight weeks, are available in the ITC building at the college. Courses offered include five associate of applied science degrees and ten certificate programs. Terry Murphy-Latta, director of NARS, said that courses were available to a variety of people.
“BNSF trains their own employees,” Murphy-Latta said. “We also have programs for existing railroad workers and for those wanting to join the industry.”
Joining the railroad industry now may be a lucrative idea. Murphy-Latta said that now was a good time to join the industry.
“Many of the baby-boomers are retiring,” Murphy-Latta said. “It’s a good industry to get into. A lot of our students are getting hired – an 80 percent placement rate.”
Student Aaron Lyons took a course from NARS to join the railroad industry. He said he wants to join the field for the money and career opportunity it presents.
“I have a couple of employment prospects with BNSF,” Lyons said. “It all depends on whether I pass the exam or not.”
Lyons said the program was very intensive.
“They cram three and a half months of training in six weeks,” Lyons said.
For most courses, students are on campus from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Some courses are available online, such as safety and hazardous material courses. Safety training is also an integral part of all courses. Murphy-Latta said that safety was the number one concern of the instructors.
“We teach students to always be aware of the conditions around them,” Murphy-Latta said. “Most accidents happen due to inattention.”
Students gain hands-on experience through fully equipped labs and on-the-job experience. Available labs include a freight car lab, locomotive lab, and locomotive electrical. BNSF is planning to expand on the south side of the campus in order to offer crane training.
The advantages of the partnership between the college and BNSF are more than just academic. Marilyn Rhinehart, Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer, said that the partnership was beneficial to the local economy.
“The students are staying in local hotels and buying food here on campus,” Rhinehart said. “It has a great impact on the local economy.”
In 2010, BNSF paid for 30,329 nights in local hotels, at a cost of over $1 million. Additionally, around $250,000 was spent on the college’s food services by NARS students.
The courses are funded partly by tuition fees and partly by BNSF. Rhinehart said BNSF financially helped with the maintenance of the building, while the college provided the space and some of the equipment.
“BNSF is the primary funder, along with tuition fees,” Rhinehart said. “The college contributes in kind. This provides an alternative revenue stream for the college.”
As the program is not federally funded, and NARS students are only on campus for a maximum of eight weeks, they are not counted among the college’s student population. Throughout 2007, 27,000 students went through programs offered by the NARS. This number has declined since then.
The partnership between BNSF and the college is the brain child of former college president Charles Carlsen and his executive vice president Dan Radakovich. Carlsen was interested in supporting the local economy while looking for an alternative stream of non-tax revenue. With the proximity of Kansas City, a railroad hub, a partnership with a railroad company was seen to be mutually beneficial.
For more information about the different training programs offered by NARS, requirements and how to apply, go to http://www.narstraining.com.
Contact Rachel Luchmun, reporting correspondent, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.