Rail skills shortage conference focuses on solutions and funding to help Europe achieve its Green Deal, Digital and Gender Equity targets
Brussels, 14 March 2024
High-level stakeholders met from across Europe yesterday to discuss policy changes and showcase funding programs and sector’s initiatives to help end the rail skills shortage, which threaten Europe’s ability to achieve Green Deal targets, improve Gender Equity outcomes and combat cybersecurity threats to European infrastructure.
UNIFE hosted its high level conference Next–Gen Rail: Building The Workforce Of Tomorrow For the Rail Sector in Brussels, with invitees such as Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Mobility Georges Gilkinet and Acting Director-General DG Employment, European Commission Andriana Sukova.
As part of the day, many potential reforms were outlined, such as exploring opportunities in retraining staff from other industries, developing direct campaigns to target young people and women about benefits of a rail sector career, and establishing better relations with technical universities which teach specific and rail adjacent programs.
This includes the consideration of funding pathways, such as possible programs and future partnerships with EU institutions, which can assist efforts to retrain workers from other industries, such as the automotive sector.
Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Mobility Georges Gilkinet outlined the priorities of the Belgian Presidency of the Council related to the Skills Agenda in rail, underscoring to attendees the importance of attracting new talent, and broadening the sector to develop more opportunities for women.
Andriana Sukova, Acting Director-General DG Employment, European Commission outlined the funding pathways available to the rail sector, including reaffirming the European Commission’s commitment during the European Year of Skills to support the rail sectors’ push to up-skill and re-skill from other workforces.
Alongside EU Commission and Member State representatives, Rail Industry executives, broader policymakers, and HR & Talent experts gathered to discuss the talent profiles, and to pitch reforms to educational pathways which are essential to the rail sector.
The European rail sector faces a range of skills challenges, as according to the European Commission’s 8th Rail Market Monitoring Report (RMMS), for instance in 2023 only 22% of employees were women and over 40% of the workforce was aged 50 or over.
With rail only accounting for 0.4% of Europe’s transport greenhouse gas emissions, it remains the ideal and proven pathway to achieving Europe’s Green Deal target of reducing emissions by 90% by 2040.
If unaddressed, Europe’s ability to build the high-speed, regional, metro and light-rail systems which connect the continent and provide a near carbon-neutral transport option, will be challenged. Further to this, it is vital the sector attracts the best digital-based talent to prevent cyber threats to critical rail infrastructure from potential state-based actors and criminal groups.
UNIFE, the broader rail sector and partner groups also touched upon the available findings of the STAFFER project - the Rail Sector’s Blueprint for Skills - which will be concluded after four years of research undertaken with the ERASMUS+ Programme of the European Union and led by the University of Genoa.
Learn more about the STAFFER project and UNIFE’s actions on skills here.
Quotes attributable to Andriana Sukova, Acting Director-General DG Employment, European Commission
“I am happy to see that social partners in the railway sector are working closely together to address these challenges and ensure that workers learn new and additional skills, as well as include more women in the sector.
“With the European Year of Skills, we are putting skills, education and life-long learning centre-stage. In addition, the EU is investing €65 billion for Member States to tackle labour and skills shortages.”
Quotes attributable to Jonathan Nguyen, UNIFE Head of Public Affairs
“I would like to thank everyone who attended, as the discussions and processes were action-oriented and constructive. I’m happy to report the sector and policymakers are in the process of building a strong game-plan.”
“We are confident the rail supply industry is the place to be, as we work to make it more inclusive and diverse. The rail supply industry will help Europe achieve its Green Deal targets, and help ensure the safe digital transition of the rail sector.”
CONTACTS
UNIFE
Ana Manuelito
Public Affairs Manager
ana.manuelito@unife.org
+32 2 642 23 29
www.unife.org
UNIFE
Ben Cuzzupe
Communications Manager
ben.cuzzupe@unife.org
+32 490 42 28 98
www.unife.org
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