Hitachi Rail STS’s approach to the management of the training and development of human resources is based on translating the Company’s strategic goals into development paths and management and operational methods consistent with its business model, by defining development paths that are in line with the required profiles and developing both core skills and managerial skills aimed at supporting employees’ full compliance with STS’s distinctive behaviour values.
Training is developed through projects in four main areas:
Every employee hired by Hitachi Rail STS is placed in the company’s organisational structure, and receives a job title and a structured induction. Each year the company launches performance assessment (PDP – Performance Development Plan), skill assessment (Global Job System) and a salary review. These processes, launched simultaneously in all Hitachi Rail STS regions, help the employee’s professional growth.
The company also plans processes addressed to the higher company population brackets, which undergo the 360 assessment process and receive performance-based incentive systems (MBO) and/or other benefits.
+24.6%
hours of training
32.9
Women's average hours
+70% *
26.5
Men's average hours
+19.9% *
*compared to the period 31.03.2017 - 31.03.2018
Performance assessment is a key tool in managing the development of human resources. Hitachi Rail STS has adopted a global, structured and consistent process at international level called the Performance Development Plan (PDP), launched for the first time in 2010, which provides for the assignment and assessment of performance and development targets for all Hitachi Rail STS personnel.
95%
corporate population covered by Performance Development Plan
The process, which is fully managed online and significantly reduces the use of printed paper, is structured into three phases:
Hitachi Rail STS plays a leading role in managing relations with local communities, be they municipal authorities, residents’ associations, metro and rail service users, businesses or local workers, adopting different methods depending on the type of commercial project.
Hitachi Rail STS is actively involved in programmes to communicate and interact with the communities affected in various ways:
Hitachi Rail STS participates in research projects funded by the European Commission, the European Space Agency and the Ministry for Higher Education and Research.
A challenge for “smart, green & integrated” transport. Hitachi Rail STS is a founding member of this “joint undertaking”, involving another 7 founding members, 19 associates and 32 member states of the European Union for a total investment of approximately EUR 450 million.
In the satellite field, the activities pertaining to the STARS project, part of the Horizon 2020 Research Programme of the European GSA Agency, ended in November 2018. Specifically, methodologies and tools for calculating the Ground Truth were defined. Meanwhile, measurement activities were carried out at the trial sites in Sardinia and Pontremolese with the aim of acquiring Signal In Space (RF signal) and Observation data regarding GPS and EGNOS. The evolution of the EGNSS service was also defined in order to meet the performance and safety requirements of the railway sector and to identify any impacts on the ERTMS / ETCS systems.
The ERSAT GGC project, also funded by the GSA, is in project. Its objective is to design the platform for integrating satellite technologies in the ERTMS environment and is the natural continuation of the ERSAT EAV project. The ERTMS functional architecture based on GNSS and public TLCs was strengthened, and a Hazard Analysis was conducted on the new architecture. The toolset for building, validating and certifying a “track database” whose demonstrator will be in Sardinia is also in the completion station. Lastly, an architecture and toolset that will support certification of the satellite systems on the basis of the CENELEC standards is in progress.
In 2018, the Company continued to maintain its relationship with Italian and foreign universities and training schools in order to contribute to the students’ theoretical and practical knowledge and to offer traineeships, scholarships and other opportunities for young, motivated and enterprising people.
After completing their internship, the young people are assessed by internal tutors who followed them during their training in the Company. If the results reach the high expectations set, they are placed at Hitachi Rail STS, either in Italy or abroad.
In 2018, Hitachi Rail STS participated in a school-work placement initiative thanks to an agreement signed with the Cassini college, the leading college for science in the Genoa region. Through this partnership, the Company has welcomed various alumni selected for their entrepreneurialism and desire to achieve, helping and guiding them in their future university carrier.
The engineering faculty of the University of Genoa supports the young people during this stage with explanations and guidance in making decisions.
In 2018, Hitachi Rail STS implemented an agreement with the D’Oria secondary school with emphasis on humanities in order to be able to host also students studying classical subjects within its alternating school and work project. The students will be hosted in 2019.
In 2019, the Company’s commitment to schools and the alternating school and work project took on an even more solid form by organising a course on soft skills for students, which are becoming increasingly important in the world of work and management, and by organising an orientation day that was actively attended by different representatives of the University of Genoa, including electrical engineering, computer science, ISICT, economics and cyber security.
The initiative was enthusiastically welcomed by both students and the managers and tutors. For the occasion, the Company hosted a large number of students not involved in the project, but interested in this opportunity for growth and information that the Company made available.
Hitachi Rail STS has framework agreements in place with the Italian Universities of Genoa, Turin, Rome, Naples and Basilicata, relating to a number of three-year PhD partnership programmes, annual or two-year research contracts as well as numerous theses and internships. The Company also has a framework agreement with the German University of Dresden, specialised in railway signalling, and is also developing partnerships with the Universities of Rome and Milan.
In 2018, the Company continued to work closely with the University of Genoa. In particular, during the year Hitachi Rail STS consolidated its relations with the electrical engineering department by joining the Career Guidance Committee.
The Company is constantly committed to developing a scholarship initiative which aims to promote continuous study and discourage young people from abandoning their studies after the first few years.
Thanks to these contacts, Hitachi Rail STS is able to share a targeted training programme with universities in order to find interested potential candidates who meet the business’ requirements.
The company also took part in the “I want to become a manager” project with the University of Genoa. The purpose of the project is to promote the managerial culture with young people and to transfer know-how that can be learned only in the field, with the goal of augmenting their opportunities to obtain a steady, qualified job with growth prospects.
The opportunity to spend a period of training at the Company was offered to several of the most talented students selected.
In 2018 a joint laboratory (RAIDLab) was created with the University of Genoa, for the joint development of digital technologies (Artificial Intelligence and Big Data) applied to the railway sector.
In 2018, the Company gave a scholarship for the faculty of electrical engineering of the University of Genoa, keeping to its commitment in 2019 as well.
Hitachi Rail STS joined in the implementation of the Genoa Smart Week, an event consisting of meetings held on the subject of the Smart City promoted jointly by the Genoa Smart City Association and the Municipality of Genoa. The event is an appointment of reference for the local area and this edition was dedicated to the topic of “resilient city”. In 2018, the company took part by presenting the contribution it gave to the “E-Mobility” theme.