From Strategy to Implementation: European Maritime Manufacturing Industry Mobilises on Skills and Quality Jobs
At the Shipbuilding Pact for Skills event, industry, trade unions and EU institutions reviewed progress and aligned next steps to strengthen skills development and quality jobs in Europe's maritime manufacturing industry.
On 5th May, industry leaders, trade unions, EU institutions and education providers gathered at the European Economic and Social Committee for the Shipbuilding Pact for Skills event, focused on delivering concrete actions for skills and quality jobs in the maritime manufacturing industry.
Organised by SEA Europe and industriAll Europe, the event marked a key milestone in aligning the Shipbuilding Pact for Skills with the recently published European Industrial Maritime Strategy (EIMS), particularly its 'Skills and Quality Jobs' pillar.
Opening the event, Isabelle Barthès, Deputy Secretary General of industriAll Europe, and Christophe Tytgat, Secretary General of SEA Europe stressed that skills are not only a social priority but a strategic condition for Europe’s industrial competitiveness and sovereignty.
High-level speakers from the European Economic and Social Committee, the OECD, and the European Commission highlighted the urgent need to invest in workers to support the green and digital transition, while addressing structural labour shortages across Europe’s industrial ecosystems.
During the session on the Shipbuilding Pact for Skills, SEA Europe and industriAll Europe presented the state of play of the partnership, including its ambitious targets to upskill and reskill 200,000 workers, attract 230,000 new talents, and mobilise €1 billion in investments. The discussion also showcased progress under the LeaderSHIP project, including the development of a European Sectoral Skills Strategy and concrete training programmes tailored to industry needs.
A high-level panel discussion brought together representatives from the European Commission, social partners, regional authorities and education providers to explore how to effectively deliver the EMIS social pillar. Participants emphasised the importance of:
- strengthening cooperation between industry and education systems,
- ensuring better alignment between training and labour market needs,
- improving the attractiveness of the sector, and
- scaling up EU-level coordination and funding for skills initiatives.
The discussion confirmed broad consensus that social dialogue and sectoral partnerships and initiatives are essential to translate policy ambitions into tangible results on the ground.
Isabelle Barthès said: “Skills policy must deliver for workers first. Investing in training, reskilling and quality jobs is not optional, it is how we secure a just transition, protect industrial workers, and ensure Europe’s maritime sector remains strong, competitive and socially fair. Public support for Europe’s maritime industry must come with clear social conditionalities. Every euro of public investment should strengthen skills, secure quality jobs, and guarantee respect for workers’ rights. Competitiveness and social policy must go hand in hand.”
“Europe’s maritime manufacturing industry is at a turning point. Delivering the green and digital transition, strengthening Europe’s industrial resilience and preserving our global leadership will require continued investment in skills, workforce attractiveness and quality jobs. The Shipbuilding Pact for Skills and the European Maritime Industrial Strategy provide a strong framework — now we must turn ambition into concrete action together with social partners, EU institutions and Member States.”, said Christophe Tytgat, Secretary General of SEA Europe.
Closing the event, SEA Europe and industriAll Europe called for swift implementation of the EMIS, with a strong focus on skills, and for continued support to the Pact for Skills as a key delivery mechanism.
Launch of a New Erasmus+ Project!
On November 16 & 17, partners of the LeaderSHIP European Project travelled to Turku – Finland to participate in the Kick-off Meeting for the LeaderSHIP Project (Learning European Alliance for Digital, Environmental and Resilient Shipbuilding).
The main goal of the project is to support the Shipbuilding Pact of Skills Initiative and provide current and emerging competences to reduce the carbon footprint and accelerate the use of renewable energies, new fuels and electric power.
Partners discussed the aims of the project and visited the Meyer Shipyard in Turku where currently the biggest cruise ship in the world is under construction.
Stay tuned for more information on the project!
LeaderSHIP strengthens the digitalisation and green transition of the maritime industry
The maritime industry is aiming for more sustainable solutions and seeking new kinds of solutions through digitalisation. Turku UAS develops educational pilots for the new needs of the field.
Text and photo: Mari Loikkanen
Finland is one of the world’s leading countries in shipbuilding. In the future, the maritime industry will be better equipped to meet the demands of digitalisation and the green transition.
This need is addressed in the four-year project called LeaderSHIP ─ Learning European Alliance for Digital, Environmental and Resilient Shipbuilding, coordinated by Turku UAS. The aim of the project is to respond to the new training needs of the European maritime industry and to build long-term strategic cooperation.
─ The common goal is to keep the level of the maritime industry high in Europe and to be pioneers on the global level, says Juha Valtanen, Content Director of the project and Senior Advisor at Turku UAS.
The EU-funded project involves European universities, shipyards, maritime clusters and employers’ and employees’ organisations. In addition to Turku UAS, Finnish participants include Meyer Turku and Turku Vocational Institute.
Training pilots for the needs of the industry
The LeaderSHIP project involves a wide range of development work. One objective is to design training programmes in the maritime industry and to develop training methods to increase the skills of current and future workers. In addition, various training pilots will be carried out.
─ Training pilots can, for example, respond to the wishes and competence needs of a specific shipyard. At the same time, we are creating European-level training that is suitable for everyone, Valtanen says.
In the first phase of the project, it is determined what kind of professional skills are needed to be increased. The change in the IT field and the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence have contributed to the need for changes in jobs and training in the field. Environmental regulations also add their own spice to the whole.
At the same time, there is a desire to attract more young people to the maritime industry. The sector needs more workforce when the previous generation retires.
─ The maritime industry offers diverse international careers also for people with higher education. In the future, completely new expertise will be needed in design, manufacturing, automation, autonomous systems, the utilisation of artificial intelligence and, for example, fuel storage. There is a need for a wide range of expertise, says Project Manager Suvi Kivelä from Turku UAS.
Supporting the green transition
In the early stages of the project, a survey on training and competence needs will be sent to a wide range of companies, educational institutions and stakeholders, and training pilots will be planned based on the responses. The aim is to support the green transition by reducing the carbon footprint of the sector and to accelerate the use of renewable energy sources and alternative fuels.
Digitalisation will be utilised more than before in training. In the marine industry, this means, among other things, utilising digital twins, i.e. a virtual model, in shipbuilding and optimising various processes at the shipyard. Collecting data from the ship with the help of various sensors can help, for example, to anticipate repair needs and develop remote operations. Getting real-time data from the ship also makes it possible to provide a wide range of customer support remotely.
In addition, the project will develop an EU-wide skills strategy for the maritime industry. The strategy will include measures to support the reskilling and upskilling of the workforce in shipbuilding and the maritime industry.
The project is expected to open initiatives to increase the attractiveness of the sector. The strategy considers future occupations that are likely to emerge in the coming years. This already requires action to match the supply and demand of the professions of the future.
The LeaderSHIP project has Erasmus+ funding of five million euros.
In the photo, Juha Valtanen, Suvi Kivelä and Krista Karhunen who work on the LeaderSHIP project.