A Review of Highway Agencies in the South Asia Region

A Review of Highway Agencies in the South Asia Region
C4.5 Financing Road Infrastructure
The RTA has strengthened its resources in critical areas such as workforce planning,
professional, technical and leadership development, succession management and
knowledge management. These moves are in response to increased global competition for
scarce roads-based technical skills such as engineers, road designers and surveyors.
New staff entering the RTA workforce is assessed; this includes apprentices and trainees
retained after the completion of their training in civil construction.
RTA supports on-the-job and formal training delivered by RTA’s technical experts or
external specialists, to maintain and grow its capability as a leading provider of technology,
professional and technical skills in many areas including road safety, traffic management,
road and bridge building and maintenance.
The RTA has established a Professional and Technical Skills Advisory Board made up
of senior professionals to oversee and inform the skills development program. Staff
development and training initiatives include:
RTA careers development strategy;
Developing workforce strategies for skill priorities in areas such as civil engineering, road
designers, traffic and transport management and policy professionals;
An RTA and Engineers Australia Development Program for engineers called e+; and
RTA graduate, apprenticeship and traineeship programs.
The RTA has also implemented a Leadership Initiative and Framework as part of its
workforce strategy in response to an ageing workforce and skills shortages in general
management. An online assessment tool and coaching have been implemented to gather
objective information and benchmark senior executives and managers.
During 2007-08, a total of 5,199 staff attended approved training courses numbering 3,322
at a cost of US$2.25 million (excluding GST).
Research and Knowledge Development
The RTA has an R&D Program which identifies and develops innovative solutions to
materials, products, equipment, systems and processes to achieve business improvements
as well as range of research projects focusing on road safety. In 2008-09 more than US$4
million was devoted to R&D activities throughout the RTA.
The RTA (co)funds and cooperates with a large number of research institutes on research
topics that relate to all aspects covered by RTA. Amongst others, the RTA is currently
working with the University of Technology to identify a suitable model for prediction of the
future condition of bridges, whilst with the Australian Road Research Board, RTA works on
the development of a pavement condition model.
Also RTA is co-funding several Australian Research Council Linkage Grant projects on road
safety and pavement system. The RTA also contributes to R&D work by Austroads.
Financing
Table C5 shows the sources of income for the activities of the RTA. It shows that the state
government provided the majority of funds, some US$2.4 billion, almost 60 percent of RTA’s
funds.
Of the Australian Government contribution, 47 percent was destined towards the Auslink
Network and non-network projects, 45 percent towards the Pacific Highway Accelerated
Program, and the rest for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau Blackspot Program, King’s
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