What is the future of the aviation industry in Poland? Roundtable discussion between key players in the market, regional authorities and universities.
On Tuesday, December 12, 2023, thanks to the efforts of the Boeing Company and Invest in Pomerania, an initiative coordinated by the Pomerania Development Agency, an event entitled: “The era of new skills: aviation in Pomerania” was held. The event discussed the current state of the market and the future of the aviation industry in Pomerania. Participants in the debate included: Boeing’s Managing Director in Poland and Ukraine Honorata Hencel, Deputy Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Leszek Bonna, as well as representatives of Navblue, Lufthansa, Cyclad and Tricity universities.
Aviation in Pomerania
The aviation industry is an extremely important part of the Pomeranian business landscape. A great example of this is the Boeing company, which has been present in Poland for more than 30 years, with its largest office in Poland located in Gdansk Oliwa. The company already employs more than 1,100 people throughout Poland, including more than 700 in Gdansk, where teams of specialists create, among other things, digital solutions and navigation maps used around the world.
The Pomerania region is unique especially due to the development of the digital domain of aviation. A wide academic background, the presence of many IT specialists and the largest aviation companies make the Pomeranian market comparable to only a few competence HUBs of this type in the world (e.g. Munich or London). Companies present in the voivodeship are constantly developing technologies that are used by a wide range of entities operating in the industry – airlines, airports or aircraft manufacturers around the world. However, not only IT solutions are developing. Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport in Q3 2023 achieved its best result ever in terms of passenger volume. In doing so, it increased its result by as much as 31.1%, compared to the same period of 2022, and by 9.5% to the record-breaking year of 2019 so far. Thanks to new connections and hangars for aircraft handling, the Port itself continues to grow, and the flattering reviews were confirmed by the latest AirHelp ranking, in which it ranked first in Poland.
Pomeranian aviation companies are consolidated under the Aviation Hub Pomerania brand, created under the auspices of Invest in Pomerania (an initiative coordinated by the Pomerania Development Agency) The project is a communication platform for sector experts who want to contribute to the development of the aviation segment in the region and across Poland.
Educational potential
As the industry grows, access to talent is extremely necessary. Here, too, the region does not disappoint. In 2022 alone, nearly 2,000 people graduated in IT-related fields.
– The Pomeranian, Tricity market is extremely competitive. The potential of our employees and graduates is phenomenal. Poles have incredible agility and adaptability. All over the world there is a struggle for an employee, especially an employee who can work in technology industries. And not at the junior level, but an intermediate to advanced worker who is able to understand the latest technologies – argued Honorata Hencel – managing director at Boeing Poland & Ukraine – in an interview with trojmiasto.pl.
The presence of representatives of Tricity universities at the event was aimed at exchanging experiences on previous cooperation with the aviation sector and discussing its further deepening.
Roundtable
The purpose of the meeting was an open discussion between companies, universities and authorities on the needs of the industry in the region and opportunities for cooperation aimed at further development of this prestigious sector in Pomerania.
The axis of the debate was set around the needs of the aviation industry, cooperation between the market and universities, and the role of local authorities in the development of the industry. Attention was paid to current and future staffing challenges and the profiles of candidates needed in recruitment processes – the ideal situation would be to correlate as much as possible the requirements of the industry with the actions taken by universities, so that graduates match the requirements of employers as closely as possible.
– As part of the Invest in Pomerania Academy project, the Pomerania Development Agency has been organizing courses for people who want to re-invent themselves and obtain the most sought-after competencies on the local labor market, including IT. In six months we will be preparing a new training program and we will take into account the specialized needs of the aviation company when creating it – said Piotr Ciechowicz, Vice President of the Board of the Pomerania Development Agency.
One of the biggest question marks even before the meeting began was the role of local authorities in the development of the industry in the region. All participants agreed with the conclusion that taking care of a friendly environment for doing business, good mutual communication and also support of directional school education could be part of the tasks of local government.
– Initiating discussions about the needs of the Pomeranian aviation industry is extremely important. This is evidenced by the fact that global brands present in the voivodeship feel comfortable here and want to develop their business. I’m convinced that today’s debate at Boeing is another step toward developing the foundations of a comprehensive strategy for serving the sector. The signal sent to universities and high schools will certainly be received and worked on accordingly – mentioned Leszek Bonna, Marshal of Pomorskie Voivodeship.
