New report provides recommendations to improve port skills

The report makes eight key recommendations. Given that there are differing areas of good practice across individual port operations, however, the authors note that it is difficult to make sweeping company level recommendations. The recommendations therefore focus on collective actions:

#1 Clarify which body is leading on port skills: The absence of a lead body on the issue of port skills is holding back the sector. Clarity is needed on which organisation or body is leading; this lead should play a key role in addressing the disconnect between maritime-wide strategies and initiatives, and related activities at port level.

#2 More joint working within the ports and maritime sector to drive improvements in diversity: There should be a common effort in examining what
measures are and are not being effective, more sharing of good practice, and a concerted approach to bring in lessons from outside the sector.

#3 Undertake a systematic review of how skills are used now, and anticipated changes in skills/job requirements in the future: The lack of clarity about future skills needs requires urgent attention. The sector should consider an in-depth, quantified future skills pipeline mapping exercise, with particular focus on the projected impact of automation.

#4 Eating the elephant a mouthful at a time – focused best practice sharing and ‘sprints’: Instead of trying to address all skill issues at once, an initial collective focus on one area, such as skills supply, would be useful. The researchers uncovered a lot of examples of innovative/good practice within ports, and these need to be shared more widely.

#5 Investigate priority near-term skills gaps/shortages, including learning lessons from sectors: The sector should confirm the priority areas of concern and formulate a sector level response. A more nuanced understanding of issues around the quality and quantity of engineering apprenticeships is needed. The sector also needs to consider how its proposition compares with competing sectors for similar skills.

#6 Develop more proactive approaches to upskilling, reskilling and retraining the current workforce: A ‘just’ transition to future ports requires strategies and interventions that will ensure that the existing workforce, across ages and job roles, can play their full part.

#7 Working together to inform a better skills policy and funding landscape: The ports sector should improve its collective stance and advocacy on key skills policy areas, such as the Apprenticeship Levy.

#8 Developing the HR capability across the sector: There are good examples of HR professionals coming together now to share good practice and learnings. This should be increased, looking not only at workforce development tactics but also how HR insight and capability can be better built into corporate strategy.

Next steps

Port Skills and Safety will be bringing forward their full skills strategy, but to maintain momentum a number of tangible priority activities have been identified to progress a number of the report’s recommendations:

• A ‘Sprints’ programme on key areas of workforce planning and development. These are envisaged to be one day events, using practices from innovation sectors focused on key workforce landscape dynamics. The aim is to uncover tangible, tactical quick-wins as well as longer term strategic requirements. The first one is anticipated to be on ‘Supply’ – building the local and national pipeline of talent, responding to Recommendation 4 (Eating the elephant a mouthful at a time – focused best practice sharing and ‘sprints’);
• A ‘HR masterclass’ series. The aim is to hold a series of practitioner-driven roundtable ‘master classes’ for HR professionals across the sector. The first event under development is “Driving progress on diversity – what’s working, what’s not” in conjunction the Maritime UK Diversity network. This responds to Recommendations 2 (More joint working within the ports and maritime sector to drive improvements in diversity) and 8 (Developing the HR capability across the sector).
• Sharing and learning with other sectors in coastal communities. We aim to hold a roundtable with the offshore energy sector to better understand approaches to workforce developments and investigate any common challenges and opportunities for growing talent supply and development in coastal communities. This responds to Recommendation 5 (Investigate priority near term skills gaps/shortages, including learning lessons from sectors).
• Collaboration with the Maritime Skills Commission to leverage broader activity in building a detailed understanding of the future skills needs of the ports sector. For example, we would look to be active participants in the Maritime Skills Commission’s and quantitative ‘future workforce pipeline modelling’ project for maritime to ensure a robust ports outlook. This responds to Recommendation 3 (Undertake a systematic review of how skills are used now, and anticipated changes in skills/job requirements in the future).

EXPLORE MORE AT THE FUTURE PORTS WORKFORCE REPORT