EC Funded Project

“Postal Skills and Work Environment in the Digital Era”

Project’ main areas of analysis

In a concrete time horizon of 5-7 years,the project aims at evaluate the most appropriate skills for the sector, mainly the digital ones, to manage the evolving digital scenarios for the sector, investigating the relations between the requested new skills and the changing work environment. How to profit from new technologies, impact of digitalization on the work environment and how to improve working conditions and HS in highly digitized work environment, are also part of the research:

•      Skills Needs Investigation with particular reference to the digital ones

•      Impact analysis of Digitization on Working Conditions  

•      Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Training activities and work environment

•      Support of Ernst & Young as external consultancy to implement the initiative

Project general structure

Work Areas Selected in relation to the USO: 

•     Back- Office postal operations (pre-sorting, sorting, sequencing of postal items)

•     Delivery of postal items, notably e-Commerce delivery 

•     Post offices networks/retail employees (administratives, financial consultants etc, PO managers and employee).

How we worked 

A project’ steering committee was set up to coordinate the whole process. Then, data collection was carried through questionnaires followed by detailed interviews. Data analysis and assessment was conducted by E&Y (innovative methodology also based on semantic analysis)

Three international seminars were organized. They resulted in the drafting of the Skills and Work Environment Framework (SWEFs) for the 3
occupational areas identified. Also, the drafting of the Final Comparative SWEF on the basis of the 3 SWEF occupational areas. 

Project implementation

3 seminars were organized: 

•       14 April 2021 (virtually hosted by Poste Italiane) – Back-Office Operations

•       14 October 2021 (virtually hosted by Bulgarian Posts) – Delivery 

•       16 March 2022: Third virtual seminar – Postal Offices Network

A final conference was held in Brussels on 8 June.