Generation next?

The transport industry, already reeling from increasing fuel prices, faces a further crisis - there's a tremendous shortage of qualified staff looming on the horizon.

Let's start with shipping. Despite the credit crunch, there's still a boom in shipbuilding, with analysts reckoning there'll be something like 10,000 new ships launched in the next few years - and they'll need somewhere in the region of 400,000 new crew members to operate them.

Ships need lorry drivers to take loads to and from distribution centres and ports. But hauliers are facing increasing difficulty in attracting staff, who see the industry as offering only long hours and days away from home.

And while many of the large bus operators turned to Poland to solve their staffing issues, as the Polish economy picks up many of them are heading back home.

We are blessed in this region in having a centre of excellence in marine training, based on South Tyneside College and the Universities in Newcastle. Newcastle University's transport department has an enviable reputation for its work into passenger transportation and logistics. But the problem remains that, at the sharp end of transport operations, the industry needs customer-focused people prepared to work unsociable hours, usually for shifts across 364 days a year.

Part of the problem has been addressed by providing better working conditions. Modern buses and coaches are as comfortable to drive as a large family car, thanks to automatic transmission and power steering. Larger operators are also able to provide career opportunities, with the chance to "rise through the ranks" to management posts. Some also offer the opportunity to pursue professional training, often through day release or distance learning.

In the next five years, we could well see a renaissance in all forms of transportation, as people increasingly shift out of cars and road haulage shifts to short sea carriage. The industry needs to prepare now, by attracting new, young staff into what ought to be a long, satisfying career.

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