The European School of Short Sea Shipping (2E3S), which began its activities in 2006, is a training centre for European professionals and students of logistics, transport management and international trade. Over the last few years 2E3S has also gained experience and know-how in the administration of innovation and research projects both nationally and internationally, consultancy and development of logistics clusters, through its collaboration with renowned European institutions. The main aim of all these areas of activity of 2E3S is to promote and develop sustainable logistics in Europe by promoting intermodal transport.
The School heads the workgroup for Training, R+D, and Corporate social Responsibility (CSR) of the Barcelona-Catalonia Logistics Centre. From this organisation, projects have been developed to promote university degrees and dual training programmes, notably the programme ‘Forma’t al Port’.
In its commitment to continuing education, the Port of Barcelona, the European School of Short Sea Shipping, the BCN Vocational Training Foundation, and the Barcelona-Catalonia Logistics Centre (BCL), with the collaboration of all the actors in the port community, has launched the project, ‘Forma’t al Port’. This project is aimed at students who are doing Master’s degrees in Transport and Logistics and International Trade in diverse centres in Barcelona.
Two editions have already been carried out for nearly a hundred students, who have been able to experience first-hand the facilities and operations of the Port of Barcelona, as well as the activity performed by companies and associations in the industry, besides coming into contact with concepts related to intermodal logistics and short sea shipping services, motorways of the sea, and other priorities within the European Union in terms of sustainable transport.
The aim of the project is to draw students to the world of business and to promote the learning of different disciplines, in order to ensure the logistics community in Barcelona is well prepared and is able to rise to the future challenges to strategically place Barcelona and Catalonia at the forefront of logistics activities in Europe and the world.
The next phase of the ‘Forma’t al Port’ programme will be to enter the field of Dual Training. Hence, training courses will be carried out for business tutors, so that companies in the industry can manage their own Dual Training and integrate students in their organisations.
Another training action is the one developed by the centre Tecnocampus, an organisation which teaches the Degree in Logistics and Maritime Business, unique in Catalonia, focusing on business management, with an official qualification awarded by Pompeu Fabra University. It is a Degree consisting of four academic years that is directly linked to the world of business, since it has the support of institutions and enterprises in the Barcelona Logistics Community, such as the European School of Short Sea Shipping itself, the Barcelona-Catalonia Logistics Centre, the ports of Barcelona and Tarragona, Barcelona Associations of Shippers and Freight Forwarders, Cimalsa, and FGC, amongst others.
Another training action of 2E3S is the collaboration it has undertaken with the University of Lleida for the promotion of the Master’s Degree in Operations Management and Distribution. This programme is the first of its kind in Spain to offer dual-mode ongoing training and the School is participating in this with the organisation of courses on intermodality, motorways of the sea, and rail transport. The dual mode alternates student training between classrooms and the world of business and is recording excellent results in diverse modules of Vocational Training before making the leap to university programmes.
Finally, for 2E3S the exclusive practical training for professionals which it develops through the WHITE MOS Management courses (White paper Holistic Intermodal Training on Transport in Europe) is important. Launched in 2004, the School has been teaching this course for over ten years in Spain, Portugal and, more recently, in France, and now also in Italy. Over 500 professionals in the industry of logistics, transport, ports, and international trade have taken these courses and been trained in intermodal maritime logistics, short sea shipping services, and motorways of the sea. In October this year, the School is running a new edition of the WHITE MOS Management course: http://www.2e3s.eu/course/white-mos-operations-barcelone-genes-barcelone-27-29-novembre-2015-2/
Eduard Rodés
Director of the European School of Short Sea Shipping (2E3S)
