Policy Dialogue with Commissioner Adina Vălean: "Jobs in Transport"

Youth Policy Dialogue on Jobs in Transport with Commissioner Vălean

Policy dialogue in the framework of the 2022 European Year of Youth.

As part of the European Year of Youth, Commissioner Vălean invited young transport professionals from all over Europe to share their views on jobs in transport - from train drivers to air traffic controllers. 

Young professionals from all modes of transport met Commissioner Vălean in Brussels, to discuss employment opportunities and challenges from their perspective: 

• Why did you choose a career in transport? 
• What challenges do you see and how can we tackle them?
• How can we attract more #WomenInTransport and ensure more diversity in the sector?
• What are your wishes for the future?

Did you miss the live discussion? Don't worry, you can watch the recorded version by accessing the European Commission live stream page.

Take aways from the Dialogue

1. Improving working conditions. In the context of an ageing workforce and labour shortages affecting the transport sector, participants highlighted declining working conditions, and low wages. This is deterring young people from joining the sector since wages are often too low to allow for a decent living, in particular in times of crisis and increased energy prices. 
2. The high cost of professional training. Entering the labour market might be difficult in those professions where training costs are high. While it is commonplace in the civil aviation sector that candidates have to pay for their flight training, which is often provided by private sector flight schools, training for train drivers is also becoming private, which increases costs considerably and forms a barrier to entry the job market. One participant, a regional train driver, called upon the Commission to increase accessibility and affordability of training courses to attract young workers to the sector. 
3.  Affordable train ticketing process. While acknowledging the environmental impact of travel, young citizens simply cannot afford to use sustainable transport modes, which are often more expensive. For instance, train tickets remain more expensive than airplane tickets on short international routes. Due to the inefficient ticketing process in the rail sector, which, in the case of long-distance travels, requires the booking of various tickets from the place of departure to the place of destination, leading in the end to a very high cost of the overall trip. To lower prices and contribute to more sustainable choices, one participant presented the idea of an international tariff model that is sensitive to local prices and based on the Interrail ticket model.