The Port VET Hub project is a transnational and sustainable parnership to exchange best practices among four port cities in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Baltic and Black Seas to adapt Vocational Education Training (VET) to future trends of the port sector in Europe
The maritime activity in Europe, and in particular the port sector, has been changing significantly over the last ten years due to the rapid technological development and the increasing geopolitical importance of world sea trade. In the context of higher volatility and trade diversification, the increasing economic growth of the port activity has lead to further challenges, mainly for the so-called ‘Ports of 4th Generation’ – large logistic platforms based on highly computerized information interconnected with different port areas. Consequently, these advancements have progressively posed changes in the labour market across a large range of port sub-activities, as trade and logistics, fishing, cruising, boat construction, or offshore energy production.
Today, the diversity of port activities within the sector incurs in a higher diversification of job occupations, with future trends related to the inclusion of advanced technologies, effective port management procedures and sustainable requirements. As a result, the port sector has become one of the key economic sectors of high strategic value that is generating new occupations and jobs.
Despite the progress and specialization, the port sector is encountering a number of difficulties to absorb specific type of professions linked to very particular needs in professional training and competences acquisition. These difficulties are expected to increase in future, given the fast evolution of the sector across the continent.
For that, there is an emerging call to align four main ports of Europe in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Baltic and Back Seas in particular, with the common aim to put VET education right in the centre of the future port scenario to play a key role in enabling current and future employees to adapt to the port work trends of tomorrow, in terms of attracting talent well adapted to new jobs, new competences and new hiring prospects within the sector.
General objective
The general objective of the Port VET Hub is therefore to build a sustainable transnational VET-port business cooperation to foster, adapt and raise awareness of VET education to the port specializations and demanded skills according to the new trends of the port sector in Europe.
Specific objectives
1.- To adapt/modify VET port studies curricula and training offer (both of technical and non-technical specializations), according to new sector trends and skills demanded by the port companies.
2.- To influence port companies about the advantadges of VET education as fundamental educational path to meet their demands and get port employeers highly capable and skilled;
3.- To raise awareness and attractiveness of VET port studies and professions as a career option of strategic importance among youngsters of every partner country. Follow @PortVETHub for the latest updates.
