Human resources for sustainable mobility: Urban freight

Human resources for sustainable mobility: Urban freight

Date: 3^rd November, 2021

Time: 9:30-11:00 AM CET

Shiny new tech is fun, but sustainable mobility will not be achieved without the right human resources. This is the first meeting in a series. 

POLIS- in collaboration with associate member, Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas)- is bringing together a cross-disciplinary panel of cities, universities and industry stakeholders to discuss the human skills and training required for a sustainable mobility transition, how this can be achieved, and capacity for collaboration.

The problem:

Urban mobility is changing fast. From alternative fuels to Mobility as a Service (MaaS), new transport technologies and services are continually emerging.  

Many predicted such digitalisation and mechanisation would eliminate the need for human personnel. Yet, we are witnessing the opposite; electrification, clean fuels and automation have in fact intensified demands on the transport sector’s workforce. The explosion of sustainable modal options requires specialised technical skills and proficient governance capabilities.

In any industry, expertise always need replenishing; however, the pace of change- and the importance of meeting climate targets- makes this particularly pertinent for the urban mobility sector.

Across several meetings tailored to specific mobility fields, we ask:

1. What skills are needed for the next generation of sustainable mobility?
2. How can enhancing and updating skills drive innovation?
3. How can higher education and research institutions equip cities and operators with the human resources needed to achieve mobility goals?
4. What reskilling is required and how can this be achieved?

Freight

The second meeting will explore Urban Freight. Freight is another area being transformed by innovative technologies; from low emissions zones to electrification and storage solutions, the game is changing fast, and competition is growing. Yet, for all this automation, it remains an incredibly human resource intensive sector.

So which skills do cities and freight operators need to keep apace of accelerating demands? Leading academic experts and industry actors will present how they are ensuring they have the capacities they need to keep innovating.