The shipyard and many other maritime industry companies are very important players in the Turku Region and in Southwest Finland, but their impact extends to the whole country and even worldwide, due to global business. Both private enterprises and public authorities have made some investments on production capacity but investments in competences and training are just as important. The growth of the maritime industry increasingly requires a more skilled workforce. Whilst all kinds of training is required in Turku, this is of particular importance in the field of technical education. The old idea that shipbuilding is just a heavy metal industry does not tell the whole truth. The need for know-how has become more diversified. There is also a need for a more skilled workforce in new technical areas regarding IT, new fuels, automation, project management etc. In this perspective, Turku is a partner in the CLIPPER project, which is an innovative interregional cooperation project develop better public policies to support the competitiveness of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) working in Maritime Industries in Europe.
