The BLUE PORTS project, supported by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) is helping small and medium-sized ports reduce their environmental footprint while remaining competitive. It does so by providing targeted upskilling and reskilling opportunities for the people who work in and around ports.
With partners from Greece, Spain, Italy and Georgia, the BLUE PORTS project brings together key actors from education and research, industry, public authorities and civil society. The project is developing a training and certification scheme that is recognised across countries (ISO/IEC 17024 compliant certification scheme). This has been designed for port authorities’ staff and port operations service providers.
Blue port training
The training material is fully digitalised and available in 5 languages (English, Greek, Spanish, Italian and Georgian), with topics ranging from climate change to energy transition, alternative fuels, circular economy, environmental protection, digitalisation and automation. Certification exams, along with preparatory sessions, are organised after the training session for those who want to be certified.
The BLUE PORTS scheme creates new opportunities for workers in the blue economy by improving career prospects, mobility and professional development. It is also beneficial to the blue economy sector by providing specialised staff and optimised port operations.
The training and certification scheme is designed in cooperation with the BLUE PORTS National Technical Committees which have been established by the project in the four participating countries, as an integral part of the BLUE PORTS scheme.
Representatives from across the entire value chain of the port ecosystem (employers, employees, training providers, competent authorities, etc.), part of the National Technical Committees, provide valuable insights and play a crucial role in transferring industry knowledge and experience, identifying the sector’s strategic priorities, as well as skills gaps and market needs.
This cooperation ensures the alignment of the training scheme with strategic industry priorities, while at the same time facilitates its adoption.
The project team aims at the certification of more than 150 port professionals and the engagement of 200 young talents through courses and career-oriented events. They estimate reaching more than 1,600 certified workers by 2030 thanks to the transferability of the training and certification scheme across Europe, and particularly in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions.