CCAM-ERAS community meeting: Outcomes and the way forward

The first CCAM-ERAS Stakeholder Community Meeting was held on the 26th November 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting gathered experts from across Europe to discuss the evolving needs and challenges of CCAM on the labour market. Discussions explored themes such as workforce development, skills forecasting, infrastructural considerations, and regulatory challenges. These contributions will form the foundation for the project’s recommendations on training programs, and alignment with policy and industry needs.

The CCAM-ERAS project is aimed at addressing the socio-economic implications of deploying Connected, Cooperative, and Automated Mobility (CCAM), and the knowledge that is needed for its adoption. The Stakeholder Community includes representatives from both varying sectors within the ecosystem and adjacent sectors to address the opportunities and challenges that are associated with CCAM on the labour market (please see ‘Figure 1: Stakeholder groups represented’ for a summary of organisation types in attendance). The meeting had representatives from diverse sectors, including stakeholders from government, industry, academia, research institutions, and trade unions. Such a broad spectrum of expertise served as a great opportunity for informed dialogue and co-creation between stakeholders and project partners.

The Community’s contributions will better inform the project of the nature of jobs in a CCAM dominated environment, skills that will be required, new opportunities for professional growth, innovation, and the strategies that could allow for a smooth transition into CCAM.

The first meeting of the CCAM-ERAS Stakeholder Community was designed to introduce stakeholders to the project’s goals and objectives; facilitates collaborative discussions to identify challenges and opportunities related to CCAM deployment and the labour market; and gather input on critical themes such as skills development, regulatory frameworks, and CCAM implications on the transport value-chain. The meeting structure is show in Figure 2: Workshop structure (breakout sessions were rotated to ensure contribution to all subjects).

Use cases initial findings
A very wide range of possible CCAM scenarios exist. One key challenge for the CCAM-ERAS project is to identify and investigate a representative set of use cases that will enable us to unpack the socio-economic challenges of CCAM. This involves balancing those use cases that are most likely to have a near term impact together with the greater longer-term potential of more complex technology capability. Ahead of the stakeholder workshop we had therefore identified 4 use cases across passenger mobility and freight mobility of 1) public transport 2) suburban/ rural car sharing 3) freight corridors and finally 4) last mile urban delivery.

A short interactive session was undertaken to better understand the way in which stakeholders perceive the impact of specific use cases on the transportation sector, manufacturing/ construction, education, and the economy. This served to both validate the use case selection and provide greater insight to their impacts. A range of questions were presented and the results of one, ‘Rate the potential impact of the below use cases on the Economy’ is shown in Table 1: Example question and stakeholder responses 'Rate the potential impact of the below use cases on the Economy'.

Working group initial findings
Findings from the breakout sessions were wide ranging and very valuable. Upon initial analysis comments can be grouped into four main areas of:

·       Socio-economic impacts and workforce transition

·       Policy and Regulation

·       Public Perception and Trust

·       User-Centric Design and Safety

A commentary on the workshop findings in relation to each is provided in more detail below.

Socio-economic Impacts and Workforce Transition

Stakeholders discussed the dual impact of automation on the labour market, balancing job displacement with the opportunities for new roles. Whilst traditional roles, such as mechanics and truck drivers may decline, emerging job opportunities include positions such as safety drivers, remote operators, and data managers. These roles would offer better working conditions and reflect the industry’s technological evolution. The key challenges included addressing the skill mismatches through targeted reskilling programmes, developing curricula and certification in collaboration with universities, vocational institutions, and industry players, and the funding responsibilities for upskilling. It was unclear whether public authorities, industries, or a combination of both would be responsible. Stakeholders also highlighted that whilst the logistics sector is already advanced in automation, particularly in ports and warehouses, road transportation and public transport face slower adoption.

Policy and Regulation

Policy discussions emphasised the need for cooperation across multiple levels – local, national, and European wide cooperation – to support CCAM deployment. Key outcomes from the breakout sessions included the fact that national governments need to define qualifications for new roles and ensure mutual recognition of certification across the EU; that harmonised EU frameworks are crucial to attract investment and foster interoperability between regions; and that cooperation between authorities at national and city levels will be key to facilitating the rollout of automated services. Development of new insurance products that are tailored to automated systems was also identified as a critical regulatory need. Stakeholders also highlighted that leveraging regulatory models from early adopting countries can guide other Member States in crafting effective policies.

Public Perception and Trust

Public trust and acceptance emerged as a critical factor in the success of CCAM adoption. Stakeholders noted that transparent communication and human-centred design are necessary to building confidence in automated systems. The strategies for building trust included; demonstration projects and public engagement initiatives to demystify CCAM technology, repeated exposure to autonomous vehicles in public spaces to normalise their existence and creating human-machine interfaces that clearly communicate the vehicle’s intention to passengers and road users.

User-Centric Design and Safety

Discussions highlighted the importance of considering all road users, and not just passengers in the design and deployment of automated systems. Automated decision-making must account for the diverse needs of users whilst prioritising safety and usability. Stakeholders emphasised safety improvements as a key motivator for automation.

Next Steps

Stakeholders and project partners collectively acknowledged the importance of maintaining momentum and collaboration to address the challenges and benefits of CCAM. The outcomes from the workshop will impact further project work including the development of an innovation radar and the creation of educational material. Follow-up actions will include structured interviews with stakeholders, and further consultation workshops. This collaborative and inclusive approach will ensure that the CCAM-ERAS project aligns with societal needs, regulatory frameworks, industry readiness, and contribute to the creation of a strong foundation for future mobility solutions.