LRT-1 operator, Ateneo University to design railway engineering courses

MANILA: In pursuit of developing the railway industry and contributing to nation-building, LRT-1 private operator Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) barew plans to collaborate with the Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) through its School of Science and Engineering for the advancement of railway education in the Philippines.

Under the intended arrangement, LRMC is working with ADMU in designing railway engineering courses and programs to support the growing need for rail workforce, as the country develops further the local railway industry.

The preliminary ADMU courses planned for School Year 2022-2023 include Course 1: Transportation and Society, Course 2: Principles of Railway Transportation, and Course 3: Railway Management and Engineering.

The first course is meant as a general course on transportation that will be an interdisciplinary elective (IE) open to any ADMU student who has taken the Science, Technology, and Society (STS 10) as a subject. Course 2 is a technical IE course intended for students with majors under the Department of Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering.

Course 3, a major elective with Course 2 as a prerequisite, will be open to all Computer Engineering (CpE) students taking the railway engineering track and to all students taking the minor program in railway engineering.

LRMC will serve as a laboratory for the five-month internship program which will also kick off in SY 2022-2023. Students selected to undergo the internship program will gain exposure to railway maintenance and construction management, project management, and working in a corporate setup.

LRMC is also discussing with Ateneo on how innovation and technology can be applied in research projects to be undertaken by students and/or faculty that will help address current challenges and gaps in the transportation sector.

“LRMC has been planning and preparing for this collaboration with Ateneo. We live in an exciting time for our railway sector, with several infrastructure projects taking shape and a call for more sustainable modes of transport is being pushed. This initiative also underscores the importance of private sector and academe collaboration to bring about learning for students that is rooted in real-world setting,” LRMC President and CEO Juan F. Alfonso said. 

Alfonso also sits as a member of the Advisory Board of the Ateneo Research Institute of Science and Engineering (ARISE). 

“We are happy to share the good news today on the occasion of our Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan’s 76th birthday. Education is one of the MVP Group’s strongest advocacy pillars, under the six GABAY Advocacies for a Sustainable Philippines. We hope to continue supporting this thrust and contribute to national development. We look forward to officially launching and sharing more details about this partnership with Ateneo very soon,” Alfonso added.

Photo from Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC)

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