ABSTRACT
Despite facing fierce competition from its Asian counterparts, the European shipbuilding industry represents today an important part of the European Blue economy, providing real added value to several local communities of the 22 coastal Member States. It does so by addressing a high-end niche market concentrating on more complex and specialized vessels as well as on vessels of higher value that present today important requirements in terms of new and advanced technology implementation. The outlook for such a market is particularly promising considering emerging trends, business changes and upcoming legislations (e.g. environmental regulations). Within this context and for supporting such a growth potential, this paper identifies and presents the key occupational profiles involved in the shipbuilding value chain, and highlights the gaps that exist today in education and training programs for providing the skills and competences that the industry requires as these are being reported based on expert consultation.
