Blog post: PSS Port Skills Group meeting

PSS was delighted to have the Port Skills Group (PSkG) hosted by Port of Blyth this week, aligning perfectly with Learning at Work Week and this year’s ‘Get Connected’ theme.

Following a warm welcome by the Chair of PSkG, Natalie Dalgleish, attendees were treated to tours of the new Energy Central Campus, as well as a tour of the port by boat. The campus tour included a demonstration of the new immersive room, an overview of T Level delivery at the campus, and examples of how education partners are working closely with employers at the port and in the wider business community to support students into employment.

The presentations began with Hector Camm, Co-Founder of Ensemble Analytics, who focussed on digitalising competence and how this approach can support shift scheduling. He shared real-world examples, illustrating how digital solutions have saved time, reduced costs and helped avoid compliance breaches.

Mark Robinson, Managing Director of Chrome Angel Solutions, gave a presentation and live demonstration on gamification and its potential to support training in ports. Attendees had the opportunity to experience one of the games on VR headsets and tablets.

Paul Parry, Head of Training at Port Training Solutions (Port of Blyth), provided an overview of the port’s work with tenants, local educational institutions, and local businesses to develop future skills and create job opportunities within the local area. We look forward to hearing more about the next phase of development that will create learning pathways into higher education.

Breakout discussions proved highly valuable. Attendees identified priority training needs that are currently difficult to source locally or nationally, along with a short wish list of apprenticeships they believe are needed in the port sector. Updated drafts of two competency assessment templates were reviewed and will shortly be submitted for sign-off.

The final session focussed on the government’s new maritime strategy, currently in development. PSS gathered member feedback, which will be included in our input to the Department for Transport.

The meeting concluded with announcements from Angela Ward, PSS Skills, Careers and Diversity Lead, including a request for early careers data from ports and a call for entries to the A Safer Tomorrow competition for young port workers. This was followed by a demonstration of the PSS Emergency Flash Cards by Jen Maddison, Health, Safety and Culture Lead.

This in-person PSkG meeting provided an excellent opportunity to connect with peers and share learning — not only through the presentations and breakout sessions, but also via the campus and port tours, informal lunch discussions, and the pre-meeting dinner. A strong spirit of collaboration was evident throughout, with a particular emphasis on sharing ideas and pooling resources to accelerate skills development across the sector.

Presentations and supporting documents from the PSkG are available to members here.

If you are not yet signed up to receive invitations to the PSkG, please contact us.