Changes made to the Escola’s Steering and Academic Committees

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Distance learning, digitalisation and courses that provide answers to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic will mark the evolution of the Escola Europea in the near future.

During the Steering Committee of the Escola Europea, held on the 22nd of April 2020, Catalina Grimalt for the Port of Barcelona and Mario Massaroti for the Grimaldi Group were added to the members of the Executive Committee. This was in accordance with the agreement adopted by the Governing Council presided over by the President of the Port of Barcelona, Mercè Conesa, and which also had the President of the Ports of Genoa, Paolo Emilio Signorini; the President of Ports of Rome, Antonio Maria di Majo; the CEO of GNV, Matteo Catani, and the members of the Executive Committee Eduard Rodés, Silvio Ferrando, Antonio Pedevila, Mario Massarotti, Catalina Grimalt, Pedro Arellano and Luca Lupi participated.

The Steering Committe also approved changes to the Academic Committee. Marta Miquel, representing the Escola Europea, and taking on the role of the secretary of the Committee; Lluis París for the Port of Barcelona; Leonardo Picozzi, representing the Ports of Genoa; Giovanni Marinucci for the Ports of Rome; and Agustí Martí for the Faculty of Nautics of Barcelona-UPC, were incorporated to the list of members.

As a result of the current global health crisis, new initiatives of the Escola Europea linked to the teaching of courses that combine an online part for theory and a physical part for practical workshops, as well as the development of new courses related to the safety and protection regulations that are going to be implemented as a consequence of COVID-19, have been approved.

The Committee was informed of the recent approval of two projects in the field of training and employment under the European Commission’s ENI-CBCMED programme. The YEP-MED project led by the Escola Europea with a budget of EUR 3 million and involving 7 countries from the Mediterranean basin; and the TECHLOG project led by the University of Cagliari with a budget of EUR 3,5 million. Both projects have a duration period of 30 months.

Some current issues were also discussed, such as the important work of the shipping companies in the repatriation of persons who were travelling at the time the state of emergency and lockdown were announced. President Conesa emphasized the importance of the collaboration of Grimaldi Lines and GNV, which has helped manage extremely complex situations.

The Council agreed to hold an emergency meeting at the end of June to better monitor developments in the overall situation.

YEP-MED project: a tool for improving employability in the port-logistics sector

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In 2020, ten partners from seven countries bordering the Mediterranean have joined with a common objective to train young people with skills adjusted to the current market in logistics-port communities operating in the new Blue Economy. The partners will focus on the regions involved in the project, with the aim of promoting social inclusion and fight against poverty.

These actions will be carried out within the framework of a new European project titled YEP-MED (Young Employment in Ports of the Mediterranean) co-financed by the European Neighbouring Instrument – Cross-Border Cooperation in the Mediterranean (ENI CBCMED) programme. The project, which will count on the amount of 3,000,000 euros of funds for its development, will work towards a better preparation of skills required by the port-logistics labour market – a sector with a high growth potential – through vocational training.

The project, led by the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport, aims to develop port-logistics training and vocational (TVET) resources adapted to sector needs to strengthen youth employability; increase and upgrade local employment opportunities through the creation of real dual-learning programmes with job placements, strengthening the role of SME’s operating in the port ecosystems for future employment creation; and setting up collaborative national and transnational partnerships between port-logistics associations, operators, SMEs, training centres and VET providers, whilst introducing a PPP co-management process.

The project counts on the participation of partners from Spain, Italy, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, including public administrations such as Port de Barcelona (Spain), Autorità Portuale Mar Tirreno Centro Settentrionale (Italy), Port de Marseille-Fos (France), Damieta Port Authority (Egypt), Office de la Marine Marchande et des Ports (Tunisia), Aqaba Development Corporation (Jordan) and Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut (Lebanon), as well as training centres in each of the countries such as the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport and Fundación Valenciaport (Spain),  Arab Academy (Egypt) and Institut Méditerranéen de Formation aux Métiers Maritimes (Tunisia). As associated entities, MEDPorts Association and Consell Valencià de la Joventut will also join the project.

Throughout 30 months, the partners and associates of the project will implement tools to achieve the main objectives of this initiatives, in the short, medium and long terms.

For more information on the project or on the Escola Europea, you can write an email to: info@escolaeuropea.eu.

The first annual meeting of the Academic Committee of Formati al Porto takes place virtually

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On the 17th of April, the constitutive meeting of the Academic Committee for Formati al Porto took place, convened by the President of the project Prof. Andrea Campagna and the Director of Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport Eduard Rodés. The meeting was held virtually by videoconference.

Formati al Porto, strongly supported by the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea Central Authority (AdSP del Mar Tirreno Centro Settentrionale) and the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport – aims to make it easier for today’s students, and thus future professionals, to gain access to the knowledge of the professions in the logistics sector, with a particular focus on the maritime industry and intermodal transport.

The participants who joined the meeting from the safety of their homes were: Dr. Luca Lupi and Dr. Giovanni Marinucci representing the AdSP of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea Centre, the Councillor for Education Policy Claudia Pescatori for the City of Civitavecchia, Prof. Mauro Adamo for ITC “G. Baccelli“, Dr. Antonio Errigo for ALIS, Dr. Francesco Beltrano for Confitarma, Dr. Brandimarte for Assarmatori, Dr. Stefano Cenci for Unindustria and the project coordinator Marco Muci from the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport.

For the first time in the Escola’s history videoconferencing has succeeded in bringing together such a high number of entities from the Italian maritime cluster and the intermodal logistics sector. Among the topics covered were the presentation of the project itself and the results achieved so far, the proposal of new contents and the quality of the courses for 2021, the acquisition of new partners, and the possibilities of enriching the current training offer, through the inclusion of online courses.

The Academic Committee is committed to supporting the project, relying mainly on the human factor, i.e. the young students, and on the local territories themselves. The main objective is to create a well-prepared logistic community, able to face future challenges and to strategically place Civitavecchia at the forefront of the Mediterranean logistic activity.

The role of “Formati al Porto” is to bring students into direct contact with the community and port activities, to learn the characteristics of the professions related to the world of ports through direct exposure to the surroundings. In addition, the project aims to lessen the disconnect between between the qualifications required by companies and the skills offered by the educational system, thus promoting the creation of quality employment through the possibility of the school-work placements.

The training, as is the case with the Escola’s courses, is carried out by experts and professionals from the Italian and Spanish sectors, ensuring participants get high quality educational contents. The teaching team is composed of representatives of companies and institutions directly involved in the management of short sea shipping and sustainable logistics in Italy,

For more information, you can visit the project’s web page:

https://escolaeuropea.eu/formati/

Information regarding the COVID-19 outbreak and the Escola’s courses

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With the current uncertainty surrounding the global Covid-19 pandemic, transport authorities and both private and public entities have taken several measures to offset the health and economic consequences of the virus. With this in mind, the Escola’s courses and operations have been halted until the 30th of March (with the possibility of extending this date should the authorities deem it necessary). This has resulted in a number of our regularly scheduled courses to be postponed.

Though we know this may adversely affect some of you who have registered to or planned to attend one of the courses, please know that the decisions were made with the regard for everyone’s safety and in accordance with the official regulations set out by the Spanish government to contain the spread of COVID-19. Please contact us if you would like to know more about the new course dates, or stay tuned via our social media channels which are updated daily. The information on our website is always the most up to date, but our staff is still working and will reply to any enquiries arriving by email.

In the meantime, we wish for all of you to stay safe and healthy.

The Port de Barcelona and the Escola Europea reaffirm their commitment to Forma’t al Port

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The Port de Barcelona and the Escola Europea-Intermodal Transport reaffirm the Forma’t al Port programme

During the next three years, the Escola will continue to offer practical course-workshops to promote the use of port services, intermodal transport and the improvement of knowledge in the sector.

The Port de Barcelona and the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport have signed a new collaboration agreement for the Forma’t al Port programme, with the goal of organising and coordinating practical courses adapted to the needs of the students coming from local secondary schools and training centres to promote the use of port services, intermodal transport and the improvement of knowledge of the maritime and intermodal sectors.

The Catalan port authority, with the collaboration of the Escola, will be responsible to prepare the training materials related to the educational lectures which will be given as part of the courses. To help offer the training at a reduced price to the students, the Port of Barcelona will offer a contribution in study grants for the duration of this new three-year period of the project.

As part of the programme, an executive and academic committee will be created to ensure quality education and excellence in the programme management. Both the Port and the Escola Europea-Intermodal Transport will assign a representative to the committees to help coordinate and prepare the courses. The organisation and management of the courses and the committees linked to the programme will be carried out by the Escola.

The Escola Europea is a training centre dedicated to provide quality training and education to students and future professionals of the transport sector, with educational programmes tailored to port activities and intermodal transport – to help better understand the sector.

This collaboration, together with that of other public entities, associations and private companies, will help ensure the continuous training of the Barcelona logistics community in order to face the challenges of the future and strategically place Barcelona and Catalonia in the forefront of logistics activities in Europe and the world.

The Port of Barcelona’s commitment to education

With the signing of this agreement, the Port of Barcelona reaffirms its commitment to being a driving force in the country’s economic activity and a generator of employment. To this end, it works to establish partnerships between companies in the Port Community, training centres and administrations in order to improve training and employment; all key aspects to consolidate as a reference point in innovation and sustainability for the region.

The Escola Europea opens the registrations for the brand new course “Ports and Passengers”

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The course, with an eminently practical approach, will offer a 360º vision of the operations and commercialisation of cruise ships and ferries.

The Escola Europea has launched its new specialised training course on cruise and ferry operations and commercialisation. The need for such a course was born from the concern to seek formulas for professionals in the port and tourism sectors to obtain a practical vision of what happens in the port during passenger operations, and to analyse the trends and growth and thus ensure the best strategies and advice in the cruise sector, from the operational, commercial and, in particular in light of modern-day environmental concerns, environmental perspectives.

During this 3-day long training, the participants will be offered theoretical perspectives through lectures and debates, as well as given a practical viewpoint through practical visits and a case study which will make it possible to analyse different passenger profiles, the characteristics of the different cruise lines and local tourist offers.

The course, initially planned to take place between the 30th of March and the 1st of April, but which has been postponed tentatively following the state of emergency declared in Spain related to the Coronavirus pandemic, will be held in Barcelona in the autumn. Recognised professionals from the sector will share their knowledge during the training, which will be carried out thanks to the collaboration of the Port of Barcelona, Grimaldi Lines, MSC Cruises, Marmedsa Cruise Services, and Barcelona Crew, among others.

The current growth of the cruise line sector

International cruise tourism is the sector that has witnessed the greatest continuous growth in recent decades. Today, the globally positioned sector faces new challenges that need to accommodate the needs of modern-day customers and the environment. It is vital to combine strategies, optimise processes and develop new technologies to complement the gigantism that the sector has experienced in recent years with optimal logistics operations that will result in high passenger satisfaction and interconnected operational logistics to the neighbouring environment and its society.

To work towards such sustainable improvement, the course delves into how the cruise industry is addressing environmental challenges, sustainability actions and social responsibility. In addition, the professors will detail the current context of the cruise industry including: trends, statistics, new destinations and future objectives.

The course will tackle the training practically through visits to port facilities to witness land-based management and port transit operations first-hand, and by presenting a case study (to be worked on in groups) to understand the implementation of cruise marketing and services.

“Ports & Passengers” is one of the technical courses that represent the innovative training missions of the Escola Europea, focused on the continuous education of professionals of the sector.

For more information on the course, you can visit the course page on: https://escolaeuropea.eu/calendar/ports-and-passengers-2020/.

The Escola reaffirms its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals

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Days away from 2020, the Escola Europea reflects on the achievements made during the year. The Sustainable Development Goals have been set to solidify the urgent changes that society would need to make to tackle social inequality, climate change, poverty, and political turmoil, among others.

With this in light, the Escola’s work in 2019 can be summarised as follows:

  • In 2019, the Escola has organised a staggering 42 courses (nearing one course per week), and welcomed participants from Spain, Belgium, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Morocco, Algeria, Peru, Colombia and Mexico. There was an increase in the number of participants coming from the Magred, which could be explained with the success of the TransLogMED project and the growth of the North African trade networks. In total, 1,485 students passed through the Escola’s doors and took advantage of the unique course-workshops.
  • 2019 also saw the creation and fulfilment of new technical courses. Curricula and course programmes were prepared for the Temperature-Controlled Freight transport Course, detailed plan were made for the Port Operations Summer school (which now took the form of a 2 week course, separated by vessels and goods), and the Groupage and Consolidation Course was further extended. Successful courses were also carried out for the former two technical courses, with a Groupage course planned for the spring of 2020.
  • The Escola’s courses are constantly undergoing improvements and modifications. In 2019 the team created a Log Book to give to the students at the start of each course, which contains tasks, puzzles and activities that further enrich the participants’ experiences.
  • Formati al Porto was officially launched in Italy, demonstrating the huge success the programme has attained in Barcelona and its appeal to other termional communities.
  • The Escola has had it’s first paper published in a conference – the annual World of Shipping International Research Conference on Maritime Affairs. The paper, which can be found here, summarised the current state of experiential training methods in Europe, and provided a quantitative analysis of the approach applied to the Escola’s courses. Thank you to all of the Escola’s partners and alumni who have generously submitted their survey responses to help us carry out the study.

2020 shows all signs of being a very intensive one for the Escola Europea, with technical courses for professionals planned for the spring, the summer school, and the usual MOST courses in the autumn. In the past decade, the organisation has increased its influence in Europe and throughout the Mediterranean through the development of new and innovative courses for students and professionals, the signing of new agreements with influential universities and training centres, and the active participation in European projects, and 2019 has shown that it is continuing to do so, whilst applying the Global Development Goals to its activities.

The Municipality of Civitavecchia and Confitarma collaborate with the Escola Europea in “Formati al Porto”

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Last month the mayor of Civitavecchia, Ernesto Tedesco, together with the vice mayor Massimiliano Grasso, the president of Confitarma, Maurizio Mattioli, the general manager of Confimatra Luca Sisto, and the director of the Escola Europea Eduard Rodès have signed a cooperation agreement, guaranteeing the availability to finance training courses within the port area of Civitavecchia. The new project “Formati al Porto” supported by the AdSP of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Centre-North and by the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport, aims to bring today’s students and future professionals closer to the knowledge of the professions of the logistics sector, with a particular focus on maritime activity and intermodal transport.

The project was borne out of a context in which the logistical positioning of the port of Civitavecchia, both in terms of territorial and socio-economic aspects, must take infrastructural measures, offer competitive services and, above all, invest in the human factor. For this, a well-prepared logistical community, capable of facing future challenges and strategically placing Civitavecchia at the forefront of the logistical activity of the Mediterranean, is needed.

The main objective of the initiative is to bring the community closer to port activities and to make it possible for the young to discover the characteristics of the professions related to port undertakings directly from the sources themselves. The students will have direct experience of infrastructure, facilities and operations. In addition, the project will lessen the disparity between the qualifications required by the companies and the skills curently offered by the education system.

The Municipality of Civitavecchia, thanks to its privileged position near the main logistic infrastructures of Lazio, including the port, the industrial area and the parks of the logistic activities, brings together many professionals and operators who work mainly in the port of Civitavecchia and who share the passion to spread the training in this professional specialty among the students of the educational centers that focus on port activity, tourism, transport, logistics and international trade.

Confitarma is the primary association within the Italian shipping industry, representing almost the entire merchant fleet of the country and bringing together shipping companies and shipping groups operating in freight and passenger transport, cruises and ancillary services traffic. In particular, it provides its members with information and offers assistance on development, the environment and energy, infrastructure and logistics, tourism, business culture, the labour market and training.

Following the great success of the first Formati al Porto course held last week at the AdSP of the Tyrrhenian Centre-North Sea, these new agreements will give many more students the opportunity to participate in the training courses organized by the Escola Europea.

The training is given by experts and professionals from the Italian and Spanish sectors, ensuring that the participants receive high quality educational content. The teaching team, yet to be confirmed, will be composed of representatives of companies and institutions directly involved in the management of short sea shipping in Italy.

You can find out more infromation about the Escola’s courses, both in Italy and in Spain, on the following website:

https://escolaeuropea.eu/training/

Innovative perspectives for training of the new generation in the Blue Economy

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In 2019 the Escola’s team has decided to take it upon themselves to carry out a research study on the current state of experiential training offers in the areas in which the Escola is active. This study was borne out of the recognised need to understand the exponential changes that are happening in the world of transport in light of the fourth industrial revolution. This is particularly true when dealing with professions in the Blue Economy, which hosts the majority of the global international trade. The Escola’s team hoped to conclude that there is a rapidly growing need to adapt training programmes of professionals hoping to enter the maritime world, to help counter this reality and thus better prepare the individuals for the industries.

The resulting study showed that when synergies are created in a network of training centres and companies in the sector within a country or between different countries, the result is rapid learning and the creation of innovative training programmes, which better prepare the professionals for the jobs of the future. Using data data collected from training centres and companies that frequently collaborate in the Escola’s courses, the team concluded that the courses offered by the Escola have a format that is both innovative and experiential in nature, and thus by internationalising and mixing the groups, the training is more successful and current to the needs of the market. It is important to develop tools and course models for training centres and companies to follow, and to ensure that more students have access to them. The final paper can be downloaded from the Escola’s website.

At the end of November, the Escola’s team then travelled to Portugal to present the findings at the first annual World of Shipping International Conference on Maritime Affairs, which took place in Carcavelos between the 21st and the 22nd of November. During the conference topics such as improved waterborne transport concepts, energy efficiency and emission control in waterborne transport concepts, optimisation of transport infrastructure including terminal, the port of the future, the autonomous and unmanned vessels, complex and value – added specialised vessels, and digitalisation were covered in other studies presented by scientists, researchers and industry professionals from around the world. The conference, which had its pilot event this year, aims to establish itself as a meeting point of reference bringing together the industry, leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of maritime transport to promote a better future for the industry.

Check out the Escola’s paper here: https://escolaeuropea.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/WofS_061_Full_Paper_FINAL.pdf.

Interested to know more? You can contact the article authors to enquire about the study itself or any future research planned.

The College of Customs Agents of Barcelona and the Escola Europea pay tribute to Josep Maria Costa

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On the 31st of October, Josep María Costa was recognised by the College of Customs Agents, Customs Representatives of Barcelona and the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport for his work as a teacher in the Forma’t al Port programme and for his lifetime work on the occasion of his retirement.

Costa’s work was recognised in the form of a sculpture that was representative of the programme, one made of a paper boat made of bronze.

The event brought together the President of the College of Customs Agents, Antonio Llobet; José Miguel Masiques, as a new member of the faculty of the programme; Pedro Arellano, the deputy director of the Port of Barcelona; Joaquim Cabané, the president of the training and occupation work group of the Governing Council for the promotion of the Port Community of Barcelona; Eduard Rodés, director of the Escola Europea and Marta Miquel, from the Escola Europea responsible for the Forma’t al Port programme.

Josep Maria Costa has participated as a teacher representing the College of Customs Agents since 2014.  In these years he has presented and analysed the agent profession to about 1240 students from 18 different schools that have participated in the programme during its 5 years. Both entities appreciate and are grateful for his work, which has helped to improve the development of the port community of Barcelona.

For more information, you can contact us at info@escolaeuropea.eu.