Fincantieri launches the 'Masters of the Sea' programme to solve the shortage of skilled labour in shipyards

The outcome was announced by the CEO of Fincantieri himself, Pierroberto Folgiero , speaking at the event dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Il Giornale. "We therefore thought of launching this programme with Elis and proposed permanent hires in Fincantieri Spa, not in a supply chain. For 90 places we received 17,000 applications. Which means that if you offer good, well-paid work, workers will be found'. But what does the programme initiated by the group consist of? The starting scenario, as the CEO also explained, is the chronic lack of skilled labour and, in particular, of Italian labour, also in view of the type of work in shipyards. This is why Fincantieri has developed a programme that divides the problem into three phases for a gradual but definitive solution to the critical issue, which focuses on developing the workforce, local suppliers, and the socio-economic fabric of the communities in which it operates.

The first phase of the project involves Fincantieri guiding a number of selected contractors along a path of growth by organising education, vocational training and civic-linguistic activities in the foreign workers' country of origin. This solution allows not only for specialised resources in the relevant sectors, but also for better integration in the workplace and with local communities. The second phase focuses on the "smart industrialisation" of low value-added activities, eliminating the need for human resources to carry them out. The application of robotization and AI marks the work of the future and Fincantieri has already introduced robotization of some welding activities. The third phase, simultaneous with the second, requires highly qualified personnel to manage robotization through AI, with the creation of a manufacturing of the future, a 'work-head' manufacturing that brings Italians back to the trades in production. This phase encompasses all the specialised training activities that Fincantieri provides to enhance professional skills and facilitate recruitment.

And, precisely to meet the need for targeted training, the group, within the framework of Distretto Italia, the consortium Elis (Education, Employment, Education, Sport) work placement programme, has developed the 'Maestri del Mare' (Masters of the Sea) project, which aims to provide a concrete answer to the problem of a shortage of skilled labour. The project aims to search for, train and hire shipbuilding workers, drawing both from schools and from pools of currently unoccupied resources in the country, and envisages 1) a paid training course (training allowance of 1.000 €/month); 2) an investment in skills including digital, automation and robotics that can contribute to and accelerate the process of digitisation of shipyards; 3) a residential training model with a transversal programme of an experiential nature for the development of organisational and relational skills such as teamwork and orientation towards the achievement of objectives; 4) direct employment at Fincantieri, already during the training course, in the yards in Northern, Central and Southern Italy; 5) relocation facilities, even after hiring, for people coming from regions other than that of the place of employment.

Fincantieri thus presents itself as a guarantor of the best resources of the shipbuilding industry and adds a very important step along the trajectory indicated by the 2023-2027 Industrial Plan, which has been built on skills, believing in the power of training, so much so as to make it paid, and on the "Made in Italy" of ingenuity: no longer just 'labour', but an evolution to an idea of 'work head', capable of bringing Italians closer to production, skilled labour, new technologies, and the high standards of excellence that distinguish Fincantieri's products.

"Maestri del Mare", as anticipated by Folgiero, has collected over 17,000 applications in just a few months, which will be selected through a structured and rigorous process involving psycho-aptitude tests, telephone interviews, technical tests, group assessments and individual interviews. On 8 February 2024, the first two training courses were launched, respectively for 'Dimensional Control Officers' and 'Naval Equipment Operators', which will involve 30 resources from all over Italy. A further four courses have already been planned for the coming months, also aimed at training 'Ship Operators' and 'Crane Operators/Drivers', which will bring the first 90 people on board before the summer.