Live and learn

Much has been written about the crisis of an ageing and retiring workforce in the ports sector and the difficulties of attracting young people into the industry – but factors such as a difficult jobs market, an increasing interest in apprenticeships and, in the UK, rising university fees, could be changing the dynamics.

Vocational qualifications are well recognised as underpinning the port industry’s training framework, but that’s only part of the picture. In the UK, the decision by the previous government to move NVQs to a new Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), which is supposed to create a more flexible qualification structure, has put a spoke in the wheels of the port sector’s training structure. On the other side of the world, the Australian Maritime College (AMC) is in the process of ‘realigning activity’ to meet vocational education and training (VET) demand; and a government initiative is underway to consider workforce development and demand in the maritime sector over the next five years.

But there is also the question of ‘progression’ – young people entering the industry don’t necessarily want to spend their entire career on the quayside, and want to know how they can move upwards.

There is not a suitable structure for logistics career progression, says Mick Jackson, chief executive of the UK’s Skills for Logistics agency. “That’s why we developed our Professional Development Stairway. There is too much of a gap between operatives and management,” he says. “There is not enough made of pulling people through from one level to another.

Growth driver

“We are starting to see changes on the horizon with regards to graduate recruitment – and the advent of the £9,000 university fees is going to have a major effect on vocational training. We are seeing some big players in the logistics sector continuing to recruit some graduates but who are now looking to take on good A-level candidates – to develop them by funding them through foundation degrees or apprenticeships, and I think that will have a major impact on universities.”

By taking people at A-level and putting them through their own in-house development programmes, these companies are going to choose which universities they are going to use – “so we will find a lot of universities not being able to get the numbers to sustain themselves”, says Mr Jackson.

Vocational education and training is critical for the ports sector, says Marcus Bowles, deputy director of the AMC’s National Centre for Ports and Shipping. “In many areas, the vocational qualifications – particularly Certificates I to IV and Diploma/Advanced Diploma – are the main ‘currency’ for work and careers,” he says. “While bachelor degree pathways are emerging, they are still new and have to reassure industry that the applied nature of the learning is not diluted by a sole focus on educational/theoretical knowledge.”

While ageing is a major issue, there is simply insufficient workforce to support the maritime industry, says Dr Bowles. “Traineeships are a band-aid on a bleeding wound; other strategies have been pursued. Hence the [Australian] Maritime Workforce Development Forum appointed by the national minister for transport and infrastructure (Anthony Albanese) to conduct a census on workforce development and demand for the next five years, prioritise investment, isolate skills gaps and misalignments in the labour force (for example, workforce on the southeast coast but needs to be in the northwest), support for shipping reforms, and such like. AMC is in the process of realigning activity to meet identified VET demand.”

Among the advantages of vocational training, he says, is the assurance of international certification and recognition for the trainee, and assurance for an employer that they can access payroll tax relief and training incentives for VET wherever possible – up to 100% in Australia for some priority occupations with nationally endorsed skills shortages.

Career path

Colin Bassam, training manager at Port of Blyth Port Training Services in the UK, describes vocational qualifications as ideal for the ports sector, but adds: “We also have to make sure that people with academic capability have opportunities to move forward. Often people have been doing the same job in a port for 30 years, and it is still classed as a ‘traditional’ industry – but we need to start moving forward and show young people the opportunities.”

With the age profile at an average 54 in the British ports industry, getting young people in vital, says Mr Bassam.

However, there has been a hiccup in terms of the British system of National Vocational Qualifications. The previous government put in motion a change to a so-called Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) system, to simplify vocational training and provide ‘credits’ that could be recognised in more than one industry.

Previously centres like Blyth offered Level 2 NVQ training in port operations across five pathways – stevedoring, general operations, marine, passenger and team leading – and trainees would follow the pathways appropriate to their particular job. A Level 3 qualification took trainees on to port superintendent level.

Change of focus

Under the QCF system, the ports qualifications needed to be transferred into the new framework, with different elements equivalent to credits which would be recognised in other industry areas.

While some work has been done on this, the transfer is far from complete.

“At the present moment we have Level 2 transferred to QCF but only on the stevedoring pathway, while Level 3 has not been transferred fully,” says Mr Bassam. In essence, the NVQ approach should remain the same, once the details have been nailed. And that’s important, says Mr Bassam, because the NVQ has always been about competence.

“NVQ Level 2 proved you had a broad spectrum of knowledge of what you were doing,” he says. “So it sat very well with the port industry as a qualification.

“The process includes watching and assessing trainees actually at their jobs, to see whether they are complying with security regulations, wearing the correct PPE, working safely, etc. But it isn’t only doing the job – it is understanding why you do it. There are a lot of people who come into the port, are put with somebody and are then just following what they do, while a lot of the time they don’t understand or rationalise why they are doing it in a certain way. Training needs to instil as much port knowledge as possible.”

Multi-skilling

DP World London Gateway, opening later this year, has recently highlighted the challenges of finding qualified, experienced electrical and mechanical technicians.

An apprenticeship programme being planned could well focus initially on NVQ qualifications in electrical and mechanical trades – and multi-skilling could be an option, says Sue Potter, HR recruitment officer for DP World London Gateway.

“Normally they would be seen as separate but we want to multi-skill – it’s good for the business and good for the young people involved,” she says. “One of our biggest commitments is to the community and local people, and training young people is obviously helping the community. It has the added advantage that we can train them to our requirements, so some people would call them ‘home grown’.

“Investing time, money and training in young people is so important, because they will be the future team leaders and management for years to come.”