The Skills Transition: Why Transport's Net Zero Ambitions Depend on People

Transport decarbonisation is usually discussed through the language of technology, fuel, infrastructure and investment. Yet every new propulsion system, energy network, digital platform and emissions-management framework ultimately depends on people capable of designing, operating, maintaining and regulating it.

This makes the workforce an increasingly important part of the net zero transition.

The challenge is not simply creating more jobs. It is ensuring that the people already working across shipping, aviation, road transport, logistics, ports and supporting industries can adapt as the technical requirements of their roles change.

The transition is therefore creating a second transformation alongside the energy transition: a skills transition.

A different kind of workforce challenge

Transport has always been a technically demanding sector. The energy transition is increasing that complexity.

Electric vehicles require new competencies in battery systems, charging infrastructure and electrical safety. Alternative-fuelled ships require specialised knowledge of fuel handling, bunkering, emergency response and propulsion systems. Ports need workers who understand both conventional cargo operations and increasingly sophisticated energy infrastructure.

At the same time, digitalisation is changing how transport assets are monitored and operated.

This creates a workforce challenge with two dimensions. Some new roles require specialised knowledge that did not previously exist at scale, while existing workers need additional competencies to operate technologies that are being introduced into established systems.

The International Labour Organization's Workforce 2030 research identifies the green and digital transitions as major forces reshaping occupational and skills requirements, and examines how education, training and labour-market policies can improve workforce readiness.

Maritime is already moving from theory to training

Shipping provides a clear illustration of this shift.

The adoption of alternative fuels is creating operational requirements that extend beyond the vessel itself. Crews need to understand the characteristics and risks of different fuels, while shore personnel, port authorities, emergency responders and training institutions also need relevant capabilities.

The International Maritime Organization has already begun developing the regulatory foundations for this transition.

In September 2025, IMO issued generic interim guidelines covering training for seafarers working on ships using alternative fuels and new technologies. In February 2026, its Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping finalised interim guidelines for training on methyl/ethyl alcohol and ammonia as fuels.

The work is continuing for other technologies and fuels, including hydrogen, LPG, batteries and fuel cells.

This is significant because it shows that workforce preparation is becoming part of the regulatory architecture of decarbonisation, rather than an issue left for individual companies to address later.

Training capacity could become a strategic constraint

The question is whether training systems can expand quickly enough.

A new fuel can be adopted commercially faster than universities, maritime academies, vocational institutions and corporate training systems can develop qualified instructors, equipment and curricula.

This creates a potential bottleneck.

Training for alternative fuels can require specialised simulators, safety equipment, practical exercises and instructors with direct technical experience. The IMO has therefore been supporting train-the-trainer programmes and capacity-building initiatives, including programmes involving maritime professionals from developing countries.

The issue extends beyond seafarers.

A port preparing for ammonia bunkering, for example, needs more than vessels equipped to use the fuel. It also requires personnel capable of managing storage, transfer, emergency procedures and safety systems. Similar requirements emerge across terminals, fuel suppliers, shipyards, classification, inspection and emergency services.

The transition therefore creates a skills ecosystem, not simply a training requirement for one occupation.

Experience remains as important as new knowledge

There is also a less visible challenge.

Decarbonisation does not make existing operational knowledge obsolete.

Experienced workers understand equipment behaviour, maintenance routines, abnormal operating conditions, safety procedures and the practical realities of transport systems. Replacing that knowledge rather than combining it with new technical capabilities could create unnecessary operational risk.

The OECD's International Transport Forum has highlighted a similar issue in its 2026 work on transport workforce skills and AI. It notes the importance of retaining critical expertise while developing new competencies, particularly where transport operations are safety-critical.

For decarbonisation, the principle is equally relevant.

The future workforce will need to combine domain expertise with new energy and environmental knowledge.

A marine engineer who understands conventional propulsion and acquires expertise in alternative-fuel systems may be more valuable to a transition project than a worker who possesses only one of those skill sets.

The skills question extends across transport

Shipping is only one part of the picture.

Aviation is introducing new requirements around sustainable aviation fuels, electric systems and emerging aircraft technologies. Road transport is expanding demand for electric powertrain, battery, charging and energy-management expertise. Rail systems are becoming increasingly digital and energy efficient. Logistics operators are integrating new data systems, automation and lower-emission equipment.

The common factor is that decarbonisation changes the tasks performed across the transport value chain.

This is why the International Energy Agency has identified skilled labour shortages as an important issue for renewable energy, grids and energy efficiency. Its June 2026 analysis examined employment and skills requirements using labour-market data and surveys of more than 700 stakeholders.

Transport will compete for some of the same technical talent required by the wider energy transition.

Developing countries face a different set of pressures

The skills challenge also has an important geographic dimension.

Many developing economies have large transport workforces but limited access to specialised training infrastructure. Yet these markets are increasingly important to global shipping, logistics and future clean-fuel supply chains.

If new technologies are concentrated in a small number of countries with advanced training capabilities, the transition could create uneven access to technical expertise.

Capacity building can therefore become an enabler of wider technology adoption.

The IMO's work with Member States, maritime education and training institutions and industry reflects this challenge. Its programmes aim not only to train individual seafarers but also to strengthen the ability of national institutions to deliver relevant training.

Companies will need to treat skills as transition infrastructure

For transport companies, workforce development is increasingly becoming part of strategic planning.

Investment decisions around new vessels, vehicles, equipment or fuels need to consider whether qualified personnel will be available when those assets enter service.

This could change how companies approach training.

Instead of treating training as a compliance cost, operators may increasingly need to view it as a form of transition infrastructure. A new technology cannot deliver its expected environmental or commercial performance if the workforce cannot operate it safely and efficiently.

The same logic applies to ports, logistics companies, fuel suppliers and infrastructure developers.

From technology readiness to workforce readiness

The transport industry has become accustomed to asking whether a technology is technically ready, commercially viable and supported by sufficient infrastructure.

A fourth question now deserves equal attention:

Is the workforce ready?

That question will become more important as the transition moves from pilot projects towards wider deployment.

The IMO's evolving training guidelines demonstrate that this process has already begun in shipping. Meanwhile, wider international research is pointing to growing demand for skills associated with both green and digital transitions.

The next phase of transport decarbonisation will therefore not be determined only by how quickly cleaner technologies are developed.

It will also depend on whether education systems, employers, regulators and training institutions can prepare enough people to use them.

The transition to net zero is ultimately a human transition as well.

The technologies may change the machinery of transport, but skilled people will determine whether those technologies can operate safely, efficiently and at scale.