Bringing together representatives from the World Bank, European Commission and major terminal operators, the event analysed past and future challenges to port personnel training, and a main conclusion was that despite a continuing skill gap at all levels in the labour force, progress had been made in developing strategic thinking of senior managers. Much still remains to be done, and a recent investigation by the ILO of the global economic crisis found that the economic turmoil offers an opportunity for training, with government support to assist to retain and develop skills within the industry by directing funds which would otherwise be required to pay unemployment costs.
There was general support for the ILO initiative to develop guidelines on port training: major terminal operators see the need and benefits of standardisation of training but also highlighted the difficulties of capital expense, time, central control and local customisation. It was recommended that, for the guidelines to be successful, they should be focused on areas of common interest in amongst workers, government and employers, such as safety.
