It is a major problem for some sectors, like transportation, where labour shortages due to retirements are already beginning to take place. As the baby boomer generation steadily reaches retirement age and with low birth rates, the more developed countries will face a smaller percentage of active working population. Transportation and logistics companies, including rail, will have a harder time employing workers with the needed skills, in the right place, at the right time. In developing countries economic growth is already outpacing talent development, leading to serious skills shortage.
It seems clear that over the next 20 years many industries will struggle with an unbalanced age distribution of their workforce, with strategic implications for every aspect of their businesses. With this outlook in mind, strategies for managing talent are now on top of the CEO agenda. According to a recent CEO survey conducted by PwC, 66% of CEOs say that a lack of the right skills is their biggest talent challenge.
For the transport and logistics sector, the talent crisis is no longer a problem of the future...
Companies in the transport sector are facing several major challenges:
- The image problem
- A need for more and better training programmes to support learning and development
- Finding and winning the best talents
“A global Network of Railway Talents” – TALENT Project
To tackle these challenges and support its members in their national approaches and efforts, the UIC General Assembly of December 2012 voted a global project “Global Network of Railway Talents”, which aims to create a strong and sustainable foundation for fostering international cooperation among ambitious and open minded railway professionals.
The TALENT project deals with the need for the rail sector to find solutions on how to better attract and retain the best talents, through:
The Creation of a strong & sustainable foundation for fostering international cooperation amongst talents in the railway sector. You can still access the stakeholder survey, which is currently accessible on the UIC home page (http://www.uic.org or click here click to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XNJHTDQ) and give your expectations and needs as regards the future collaborative platform.
Today over 155 respondents filled inhave completed the stakeholder survey, which gives the project team a sound basis to start with the specifications of the future collaborative platform
The development of a powerful management development programme aiming to prepare a new generation of railway talents.
In this area, amongst the first steps undertaken are:
- The design of a New Programme for SIAFI 2014 http://www.uic.org/siafi
- An alumni network
- A strong cooperation with a global network of universities offering rail education courses
- Targeted initiatives towards young talented people from universities/research centres. Through two prestigious events: the UIC Research & Innovation Awards (“Young researchers” category ) and the European Commission Transport Research Arena initiative : TRA VISIONS (aimed at University and Technical Institutes students pursuing bachelor degrees and higher)
- Business case for MBA
- .....
You can play an active role in this exciting and challenging project!
Stakeholder survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XNJHTDQ
New programme for SIAFI 2014 https://uic.org/siafi/
