The social dialogue is at the centre of the Pomeranian strategy and main goals are set by the Pomeranian Regional Labour Market Council (Pomorska Wojewódzka Rada Rynku Pracy). A regional consortium of local administration, regional public employment services, non-governmental organisations and unions, the Council acts as an advisory body to the regional government. It became a preliminary forum for discussions on the future of shipbuilding and maritime industries in Pomerania through meetings held with the industry representatives. The sessions between the public sector, the employers and the third sector allowed for identification of gaps in the labour market offer.
Lack of labour market analysis and inadequate vocational education opportunities were identified as the main challenges for the shipbuilding industry to develop its staffing potential. Institutionalised and systemic research was found to be crucial to identify in-demand competences for the industry. Labour market research is especially significant, as new economic opportunities associated with investments in offshore wind energy emerge in the Baltic Sea.The growing interest in the offshore wind sector also leads the rise in the demand for highly skilled workers. Secondly, short forms of reskilling and upskilling training were identified as crucial for retaining the current maritime workforce through lifelong learning initiatives enabling acquisition of new skills and professional qualifications. To coordinate the actions based on the identified areas for action, the Pomeranian Regional Coordination Team (Pomorski Wojewódzki Zespół Koordynacji) was established in 2022. The Team is responsible for identifying regional staffing needs on an ongoing basis and recommending strategies for responding to the demands for workforce to the local administration and vocational education institutions.
Furthermore, local administration and the industry are investing in modernising the educational offer in Pomerania, to attract new workers to the shipbuilding industry. Their actions focus on addressing the ingrained biases of vocational education as a worse type of training through long-term information campaigns, improving the quality of vocational education schools and raising teachers’ competences to enable innovative training. The industry also offers apprenticeship schemes for students in the region, thus allowing them to get acquainted with the latest maritime technologies and new opportunities in the sector. To build awareness of the growing demand for workers in maritime sectors, the Pomeranian Platform for Offshore Wind Energy Development was also created in 2020. 25 stakeholders initiated the platform, including local administration representatives and companies such as EDF Renewables Polska, Polenergia or Equinor Polska. The partners engage in skills strategy creation for offshore energy development in the region as well as offshore energy R&D and awareness campaigns.The stakeholders also organise educational fairs for the upcoming high school graduates to inform them of opportunities in the shipbuilding and maritime sectors. In 2023, a fair was also organised by the Pomeranian regional administration, the municipality of Gdansk, the municipality of Rumia, the Pomeranian Platform for the Offshore Wind Energy Development and the Invest Park. The event attracted approximately 5 000 high school students.
