Abstract:

The future occupations in aviation will undergo profound transformations, the main factors of change being new technologies and the transition to a greener and sustainable economy that will require knowledge creation and new skills for employees. The green skills are needed both in core sustainability areas like environmental policies and pollution prevention, but also in transports, IT, services, manufacturing, energy and public administration. The increasing demand for green skills in the job market reflects the growing global concerns of the unsustainable activity impact within the workplace in all areas and, especially, in air transport. Here, these future skill needs are an essential premise for drafting education and training modernized curricula which can contribute to a more sustainable aviation industry.

The aim of this paper is to provide a solid understanding of green skills needed for the new technologies in air transport and for the necessary competences to enhance and manage innovative sustainable systems in this industry. By developing green skills through education and training, the air transport employees will be better prepared and able to generate economic and social benefits while ensuring a safe, efficient and environmentally responsible pathway.

The research methodology involves qualitative and quantitative aspects and results: the qualitative research consists in the in-depth analysis of data on green skills from European Commission , CEDEFOP, The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and of reports on qualifications and occupations in air transport from International Civil Aviation Organization and from The Air Transport Action Group. Complementary to this, the paper presents, also, the results of the focus group “New skills for new professions within the air transport industry” organised by UNESCO Chair of UPB with representatives of HE and air transport industry, which brought, to the same table, different perspectives and expertise for identifying the main changes within the field and the prospects for a better reconfiguration of the air transport qualifications. To better understand the current situation and skill needs, the paper presents the conclusions of a quantitative research on new skills necessary for the new smart occupations, the findings being based on a survey who used three questionnaires for top management, employees and teaching staff.

This research is carried out under the Erasmus+ project “Creative Digital Teaching And Learning For Green Air Transport And Logistics (AVIONIC)”, recently started by 6 partners from Finland, France, Romania and Spain, with support of representatives from HE, training, air transport and international and national authorities. The project partners identified there are important changes in skills development and consequently in training needs for the workforce to be able to develop and implement digitalized and sustainable air transports. The project activities are covering the following categories: identification of digital and green skills in air transport, sharing the knowledge on innovative methods for teaching and learning, development of new curricula and teaching and learning materials based on research result on skills and qualifications, development of new digital tools for interactive teaching and learning.

Keywords:

Air transport, curricula, green skills, new occupations, sustainable development.