Within the Eramus+ European project ELP Transport, whose objective is focused on studying the training needs of young graduates in sustainable public transport, the Consorci de la Ribera, through the Department of Environmental Education and Economic Promotion, has carried out training for 3 students from La Ribera during the months of April to August 2022. The training included an online training course and a work base experience with a local public transport company.
First of all, there was a selection process during the month of April 2022. Apart from the website it was disseminated in a meeting with environmental education professionals in Guadassuar (Valencia). 4 students were interested in participate in the pilot experience. The fourth were accepted and signed an agreement to be included in the e-learning training and the work-based-experience.
The student profiles were: 2 of environmental science, 1 biology and 1 forest engineer. 3 of them were employed people in search of increasing their knowledge about public transport and sustainable and one of them (environmental science) new employment seeker. The fourth of them were women.
The e-learning phase took place during the months of April and May 2022. The students carried out the training (75 h) with all the Open Education Resources uploaded in the ELP Transport e-learning platform in English. One of the students (the employee with environmental science background) left the e-learning course before finishing the training due to work compromises.
After that, the work-based experience was carried out during June and July 2022 (75 hours) for the three other students. Consorci de la Ribera engaged a local public transport company (Franjen S.L). An agreement between the Consorci de la Ribera and Franjen S.L. was signed. Therefore, the three students undertook some interviews by telephone and send the manager of the company a questionnaire to fill. With the information received they carried out an study that included an analysis of the company and improvements to be made. It was sent to the company in September 2022.
Through a questionnaire sent to the students and to the public transport company in September 2022, all of them showed their satisfaction with the pilot methodology. On one side, the trainees highlighted the importance of public transport as a key point to reduce air pollution and the necessity to increase digitisation and more environmentally friendly fuels in the fleets. Also they commented on the benefits of the online training and the importance of dealing with real data on the work-base experience. Therefore, as a general conclusion they mentioned the training has widen their knowledge to a great extent and has provided them with more professional tools. On the other side, the public transport company was pleased with the study that displayed the crucial points they had to improve. Thus, they are preparing a wallet card with which customers will be able to charge credit to spend on their journeys without having to carry cash every time they want to get on the bus.