Work Package 3: Skills Intelligence for the rail sector

Within SERAS Project’s Work Packages, WP3 implements activities in the STAFFER Long-Term Rail Sector Skills Strategy and Action Plan under Pillar 2 “Improve cooperation between the railway sector and educational institutions at the VET and HEI level” and Pillar 3 “Develop new VET courses and programmes at all educational level”. WP 3 will cover the whole rail sector and is referring to the Pact4Skills Action: Action 1 “Right Skills for Jobs”; Action 2 “Skills Intelligence”; Action 6 “Skills to support the Twin Transitions” and Action 8 “Skills for Life”. 

By using key methodological components of the Skill Intelligence approach, WP3 will collect information on the job-skill requirements, digitalisation, skill mismatches and workplace learning in the rail sector.  This will be done on the basis of a large stakeholder survey and as well as data analyses of different sources (European Labour Force Survey, CEDEFOP Labour and Skills Shortages Index, European Jobs and Skills Survey, European Working Conditions Survey, etc.) 

Concrete objectives are to develop a common and robust methodology to assess, anticipate, and monitor the evolution of railway related skills and competences across the rail supplier industry, operation and infrastructure management (skills mapping); identify quantitative and qualitative gaps between skills supply and demand and gather evidence on new emerging skills related to twin transition, digitalisation, interoperability and cross-border railways, resilience and security, AI, etc. (Task 3.1, led by wmp and MAFEX). Skills mapping and forecasts will be carried out on the basis of rail-/railway specific occupations as defined in the ESCO list of occupations. 

Further activities relate to the identification of new skill needs and existing training practice in relation to the digital and green transition (Task 3.2, led by DB and Hitachi Rail), the critical role of non-technical skills for railway safety and resilience (Task 3.3, led by UASFHE) and the issue of revisions and adjustments of existing rail-related occupations and job profiles as well as the description of new emerging job profiles in ESCO (Tasks 3.3 and 3.4, led by wmp). Finally, Task 3.5, led by UNIROMA1 will elaborate ideas and recommendations for complementing the predominantly national level of skills development as well as up- and reskilling activities by a European or transnational level, including harmonisation of curricula and programmes as well as mutual recognition.