Estonia’s maritime sector will increasingly need people with IT, data, legal and other specialist skills alongside seafarers. Yet it is still widely seen as a traditional industry centred on ships and sailing. Participants at WISTA Estonia’s annual seminar concluded that universities, businesses, the state and local authorities must work more closely together to bridge this gap.
workforce
The maritime sector needs new employees and leaders, and attracting more women is increasingly discussed. Elpi Petraki, President of WISTA International, the global network of women professionals in maritime, shipping, trade and logistics, believes real change is measured by the roles women attain and their opportunities to influence their organisations. If women remain mainly in support roles, much of their potential goes unused.
Estonia has all the prerequisites to become a leader in the age of artificial intelligence – but this opportunity must not be missed.
Priit Raid, a TalTech alumnus and the founder and CEO of Hoob OÜ, a company providing automation solutions, believes that automation and robotics do not leave people without jobs but rather allow them to focus on more valuable tasks. He established his company specifically to help the industry stay competitive through the automation of production processes.