During the meeting of the WG4 which focuses on the regional implementation, the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region provided an overview of their activities regarding hydrogen
Two new members have joined the Automotive Skills Alliance. Trnava Region from Slovakia and the Lombardy Region from Italy were officially welcomed into the Alliance yesterday at the start of the Regional Implementation Working Group 4 meeting. The two newcomers join the list of major regions with a long tradition in the European automotive industry already participating in the Alliance’s activities.
The gathering, led by ETRMA, was structured as a tour de table to collect updates from regions on their new or upcoming skills projects, skills intelligence, participation in events, and upcoming funding opportunities at regional level. At this moment, one year after the launch of the Alliance under the European Pact for Skills, one of the objectives of Working Group 4 is to promote the dissemination of the activities already established in the participating regions.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of DRIVES and ALBATTS—the Erasmus+ blueprint projects that were the first to provide the necessary inputs to promote upskilling and reskilling at European level for the automotive ecosystem. In particular, the event highlighted the opportunities offered by the DRIVES Framework, the EU-wide database of training courses for the automotive industry, and all participants were invited to contribute to the collection of case studies and good practices that the DRIVES Framework makes available through its Good Practices Resource Tool.
The floor was then passed to the French region of Auvergne Rhône Alpes, which presented their innovative projects concerning hydrogen-related skills. The main focus was the survey of the skills needed to further develop hydrogen technology in the mobility ecosystem, as well as on the project that they launched to train workers on the use of hydrogen in transport.
The presentation aroused much curiosity and questions on the way the projects were built and carried out, with a particular focus on the difficulties and challenges faced.
“Skills are enablers of innovation”, explains Marta Conti, leader of the ASA Regional Implementation group. “Our member regions share their projects and journeys to get stakeholders involved, to get the necessary funding, and how to overcome hurdles and failures. Learning and sharing best practices is key to success.”
The next meeting has been scheduled for late January, when a round table is foreseen dedicated to the exchange of best practices, knowledge and news among the regions involved in the Alliance.
Upcoming activities of the Alliance include participation at the Committee of the Regions automotive intergroup (CoRAI) on 25 November. This event is dedicated to the skills needs for the green transformation, highlighting the critical role that regions have on this journey.
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