Home > News > August 2004 > 19-Aug-2004

Scottish passenger transport sector profile released

A new report on employment, training and skills issues in passenger transport in Scotland has been released. The work, ‘Passenger Transport Industry- Scottish Sector Profile', produced jointly by Futureskills Scotland and GoSkills, shows that sector employers are concerned by the lack of soft skills such as communication and planning, as well as technical skills among employees.

The Sector Profile includes information on how the sector is composed, employers' views on current challenges, the appeal of their industries to potential employees, skills issues and employer attitudes to training.

More than half of passenger transport workplaces with skill gaps said that deficiencies had led to increased operating costs, difficulties meeting customer service objectives and difficulties meeting required quality standards. A skill gap arises when someone is in a job and is judged by their employer to be not fully proficient.

Mike Galvin, GoSkills Board Member and Group Managing Director, Computer Cab plc, which has operations in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, said: "This profile gives a clear snapshot of the current status of passenger transport in Scotland and, in quantifying the skills gaps, shortages and employer priorities, will prove to be really useful tool in planning how to address the challenges we face."

Other key points in the report are:

• The sector is characterised by a predominantly male, ageing workforce in full-time employment - with a higher than average proportion of process, plant and machine operative occupations eg drivers in the bus, coach, tram and private hire industries.
• Around one in ten passenger transport workplaces participate in Modern Apprenticeship, New Deal and Skillseeker training schemes, which is similar to other sectors.
• Of those employers who had not carried out any off-the-job training in the last year, nearly half said that no training was necessary in their business, while nearly a fifth cite a lack of appropriate training as a reason.

The sector profile is one of a series summarising key labour market information for industry sectors across Scotland, produced jointly by Futureskills Scotland and various sector bodies.

Futureskills Scotland is part of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and aims to provide robust labour market intelligence based on evidence.

"What the Passenger Transport Industry Scottish Sector Profile has given us, is the first large scale and in-depth survey of employers in this sector", said Stephen Boyle, director, Futureskills Scotland. "We now have robust evidence about a range of issues and these findings will enable my colleagues across Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and our partners to clearly focus their support for this sector."

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