TECH-CLINIC SST - Setting-up of effective Technological Clinics to address real knowledge needs of Surface Transport industry
Overview
Background & policy context:
The transport industry is a major employer, with more than 10 million jobs in transport-related sectors of the economy (services, equipment, infrastructure), mostly in the road sector. Maintaining and strengthening the competitiveness of transport operators is the best guarantee for durably high employment. After a long period of restructuring, employment levels are now stabilising, but are still insufficient.
In some sectors, such as rail and road transport, shortages of qualified personnel have arisen. Given the high level of unemployment in most EU countries, this indicates a serious mismatch between educational output and employers' needs, most acutely in engineering and technical skills. It is therefore essential to improve the match between the students' training and the actual needs of the Surface Transport Industry by raising the awareness to the main challenges faced by the industry in the near future.
TECH-CLINIC SST aimed to contribute toward changing the attitude of young people towards the Surface Transport Industry by showing them that it is today an innovative industry, active in the development and application of new technologies, showing them lines of opportunities in the educational system, R&D organisations and enterprises, and in particular high-tech SMEs, and to explore the potential of job creation in the surface transport sector.
Objectives:
The main strategic objectives of TECH-CLINIC SST initiative were:
- to offer young people (namely students) the opportunity to have real working experience in the surface transport industry making use of the knowledge acquired during their studies;
- to raise awareness of young people about the work opportunities in the surface transport industry and about the importance of stimulating their creativity towards surface transport industry;
- to contribute to the promotion of entrepreneurial spirit among students, as entrepreneurship plays a vital in the labour market;
- to offer students the opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience, helping the development of the confidence, knowledge, critical thinking, skills and understanding of young people towards the surface transport industry;
- to give the SMEs the opportunity to map their specific knowledge needs and participate actively in the process of finding the best solutions to meet those needs;
- to make SMEs aware of the importance of the contribution that highly skilled young people can offer them in terms of knowledge;
- to make SMEs aware of the importance of having highly skilled young people working closely with them and of how their input contributes to increase SMEs' competitiveness level and development.
Methodology:
TECH-CLINIC SST gave senior students some practical work experience and the opportunity to work closely with the surface transport industry by solving 9 specific knowledge needs of this sector. This involved a total of 90 senior students and 9 Surface Transport SMEs (from Germany, Hungary and Sweden). The aim was to ensure a successful team performance through diversity, an appropriate mixture of different genders, cultures, ages and talents working together for the industry.
The project also organised 'Cafés Scientifiques' addressed at young students from early school to university in Portugal, Spain, Germany, Hungary and Sweden. A minimum of 250 young people were involved. This aimed to raise awareness among young people about the importance of surface transport in our society.
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