Attracting talent, highly prepared, digitally trained and with skills that facilitate innovation is what any sector is looking for. Including the port logistics sector. Very much so. So much so that in the 2022 edition of Smart Ports: Piers of the Future the panel 'Building the workforce at the ports of the XXI century' was organised to analyse how to attract new generations. This debate featured four voices from different but interrelated fields, such as ports, education, start-ups and public administration.
For all of them, attracting this talent and creating jobs "that do not yet exist," as Ricard González, founder and CEO of Infraplan Geospatial, pointed out, is going to be fundamental. But how do they plan to do it?
The job expectations of the new generations
"At the university we are in contact with young people and we see a big change in their job expectations. Salary is no longer a priority. They are interested in the organisation, flexibility and, above all, not in their job description but in the contribution of their position to the organisation they work for," explained Karina Gilbert, Senior Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science and Director of IDEIA-UPC.
Erica Long, a cybersecurity expert at the U.S. Coast Guard, shared that her organisation, which is a branch of the U.S. military in charge of maritime regulation, among other things, also has civilian personnel who belong to the civil service.
"I am a Millennial, and several factors that make the organisation attractive are the work-life balance and the opportunity for training and attending conferences, which allows you to grow as a professional," she said.
Long felt that a generational mix is beneficial, as younger people can have a greater understanding of the technical aspects while older people accumulate more experience and understanding of the industry.
David Serral, chief information officer at the Port of Barcelona, considered that ports must manage the integration of these new generations. "To do this, we need to make an effort to attract talent and redesign the image with which they perceive some types of business, such as the port-logistics business. We have to take immediate actions such as activating the same language of communication as they do on social networks", he exemplified.
Four voices from different but linked fields discussed how to attract the workforce of the future (Smartports.tv).
