THE PORT VOCATIONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

The main objective of Livorno Port Authority in the Vocational Training sector is to guarantee that port sector workers skills meet the job profile requisites foreseen both in the national port legislation from the 84/1994 Port Reform Law onwards and EC guidelines and directives. This objective is pursued in synergy with local government institutions, social parties and other Italian Port Authorities, through the following:

• Training need and work organization monitoring activities;
• Certification and accreditation system through entry-training and re-training modules for each port job profile;
• Implementation of standard training modules through using simulators;
• Verifying and auditing the re-training of temporary port manpower;
• Planning and directly or indirectly carrying out continuing training for all personnel authorized to work in the port sector.

THE STANDARD VOCATIONAL TRAINING MODEL

The setting up of a common training system among all the port companies wouldn’t have been possible if we hadn’t been capable of devising, developing and successfully experimenting an industrial relations system among all the actors involved in the Human Resources development in the port sector. This system consists of four phases:

1. The training needs analysis, carried out by the Port Authority using the Observatory tool;
2. Once the professional profiles and their training needs are revealed, the training activity plans are subjected to a joint evaluation by trade unions, local authorities and companies. After that, all these parties co-operate together to define the plans in detail, not only in terms of company needs and related training contents, but also in terms of agreements between them, regarding the subsequent (re)employment or work-placements for the (re)qualified workers;
3. At this point the training activities are carried out by specially selected training agencies, following the Standard Training Model and therefore guaranteeing the trainees Port Authority certification;
4. As a final step, a special committee consisting of representatives from companies, trade unions and local authorities, evaluates the results. Mainly, this evaluation tries to understand, on the one hand, if the re-qualification achieved fits the company needs regarding quality and efficiency in production and services, and, on the other, if the new work placement also fits workers' needs, in order to carry out the appropriate corrective policies if necessary.