Rural Roads for Development course

Tractor on rural roadRural Roads for Development course:

For more than forty years, the University of Birmingham has been offering taught and research programmes in the area of road management and engineering designed to equip participants with the skills and knowledge of management procedures for the planning, appraisal, design, construction and maintenance of road networks. The programmes are relevant to conditions found in both developed and developing countries and are suitable for professionals who want to pursue a career in the road sector. 

In addition, for the last fifteen years the Senior Road Executives Programme has provided continuing professional development for senior professionals working in the road sector and, by so doing, contributed to the dissemination of knowledge and expertise and facilitated the implementation of modern approaches to the management and financing of road networks worldwide. 

The University of Birmingham is now pleased to offer three new hands-on courses in the areas of road safety and road economics and rural roads for development. The first is delivered in collaboration with iRAP (International Road Assessment Programme). The second is provided in collaboration with HDMGlobal and the third in association with IntechAssociates . All three courses are 5-day, intensive and practical residential programmes delivered by experts of international repute. They are aimed at road sector professionals, road engineers, field engineers, planners and road safety professionals who want to be exposed to cutting-edge established methodologies in road safety management, road economics and rural transport for development.

Course details

Rural roads

Why attend this course:

This course provides an introduction to building and maintaining rural roads for development and includes:

  • Analytical framework for understanding rural transport
  • Pro-poor transport appraisal including methods for capturing non-monetary benefits
  • Rural Road design and construction
  • Labour-based & intermediate technologies
  • Implications of climate change

The course will include laboratory sessions to better understand simple tests which can be used in the field to determine soil properties required for appropriate design and maintenance.

Who should attend: 

  • road engineers, managers, and other road sector professionals who work in the areas of rural roads, feeder roads, road management, road financing and road maintenance.

Language: English
Course instructors: Dr Gurmel Ghataora, Dr Michael Burrow, Mr Rob Petts (Intech Associates)
Co-ordination: Dr Michael Burrow , University of Birmingham

Related staff

Fees and funding

Course fees:

The cost of the course is £2300 including 6 nights' accommodation on a bed, breakfast and lunch basis (8th to 13th September inclusive) or £1700 excluding accommodation but including lunch.

How to apply

All enquiries to:

Programme Administrator
School of Civil Engineering
University of Birmingham
Birmingham B15 2TT
UK
Tel: (+44) (0)121 414 4191
Fax: (+44) (0)121 414 7848
Email: highwaycourses@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Registration/booking

OverviewLearning and teaching

Herding geese on a rural road

By the end of the course, the participants are expected to have acquired an understanding of the following key items:

  • The contribution of rural roads to growth and poverty reduction
  • Methods of pro-poor transport appraisal
  • Rural Road design and construction methodologies
  • Appropriate field and laboratory tests for road design and maintenance
  • Labour-based & intermediate design and construction technologies
  • Methods to plan for the implications of climate change

The course is delivered in the state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities of the University of Birmingham.

Course detailsEmployability

Motorbike on a rural road

The rural roads for development course has been designed specifically to meet the needs of the industry to support career opportunities in the road engineering, management and planning sectors. 

Participants in this course are normally employed in both the public and private road sector in the UK or overseas, including specialists in rural and feeder roads, road engineers, managers, planners and consultants. 

The course provides training that promotes the selection, support, design and maintenance of rural roads to improve their contribution to development, growth, and poverty reduction.

Learning and teaching