RiverOak Strategic Partners has welcomed the Future Skills Assessment report, published on 24 September 2024, which was developed by the National Skills Academy for Rail to provide the Department for Transport (DfT) with an overview of the workforce in the transport sector in the UK.

The report outlines future skills needs across the UK’s transport sector and examines the sector’s challenges, which include demographic trends, the impacts of new technologies and the transition to net zero.

The report’s action plan aligns with the aims of the Manston Skills and Employment Board (MSE-B) which includes representatives from local authorities, educational establishments and employer groups from across Thanet and East Kent, who are collaborating to ensure local people get the maximum benefit from the reopening of Manston Airport by having the right skills for the wide range of jobs that will be created.

Tony Freudmann, Director of RSP, said: “We’ve long understood the importance of properly planning the future employment and skills needs of the airport and so we set up MSE-B, in 2018, to make sure we could take a both a long term view and a collaborative approach.

“The commitment and partnership spirit of the organisations involved in the MSE Board has been fantastic from the outset and we are extremely grateful to them for their ongoing support. Together, we are determined to maximise the pipeline of talent, and training and employment opportunities to support not only Manston Airport when it opens but also the many new and existing businesses in Thanet and East Kent that will supply and benefit from the new air cargo hub.”

Read the report here: Future Skills assessment for the transport sector (publishing.service.gov.uk)