Since the
Foundation Degree (Professional Diploma in Scotland) was launched in September 2006 the number of Officer Trainees entering the Merchant Navy has increased rapidly in line with the increased demand for qualified personnel in the industry. In the academic year 2007/8 the entry had grown to just over 850 – a considerable increase on the 300 or so at the beginning of the decade. About 35% of these were on sponsored degree courses (up from less than 10%), which is in line with progress towards the MNTB target of at least 50%.
The Maritime Skills Alliance (MSA) continues to develop as the umbrella organisation for vessel operations training in the maritime sector. Membership now comprises the original founders – Merchant Navy Training Board, Port Skills and Safety, Seafish Authority – plus the British Maritime Federation (leisure industry including Superyachts and the Royal Yachting Association), the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and, most recently, the Royal Navy. The way in which this grouping interfaces with the UK Commission for Employment and Skills is currently under review to ensure that the maritime sector is properly represented. A new Ports and Shipping Partnership (PSP) has also been formed to bring together stakeholders – employers, unions, colleges, government and regulators – to coordinate common training issues in these closely linked areas.
Cross maritime sector programme development is becoming more common. The Foundation Degree programme is now being expanded into the Ports sector and work is in progress to redevelop Apprenticeship programmes on an industry basis. Another area of development currently underway is to ensure relevant qualifications and career progression at management level in Maritime Hospitality; essential skills for the Cruise, Ferry and Superyacht sectors. In addition work to develop National Occupational Standards for those involved in shore-based ship management activities is also under way, with a consultation exercise taking place this autumn; again qualifications, progression and career opportunities will be the final outcomes.
The commercial maritime sector continues to grow with the UK registered fleet (over 100 Gross Tons) now at 1,537 ships totalling 14,960,812 GT. Ports are expanding to meet the growing requirement for container capacity; work has recently started at Felixstowe (my home town) on the southern redevelopment, which will see annual capacity grow to 5.3 million TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units). Final approval has recently been given for the new 3.5 million TEU London Gateway container terminal on the north bank of the Thames. Port expansion and new developments are also taking place in other locations around the UK. All this growth and activity means that the job opportunities for people with maritime skills are better than they have been for decades, but we need to get that message out to young people when they are making their career choices.
The MSSC has a long tradition in recruiting for the maritime sector – The Marine Society has been involved for 252 years! This role is as important now as it was then – we are a trading nation with over 90% of our imports and exports carried by sea. I’m pleased that the MSSC is working closely with the MNTB to carry the Sea Vision message into schools so that young people are aware of the opportunities available to them in a dynamic global industry.
I will finish on a personal note. When I first went to sea in 1967 as an Indentured Cadet (ie
Apprentice) with the then BP Tanker Company (now BP Shipping) my O-Level result in Mathematics did not quite live up to expectations! The
College of the Sea, now part of the MSSC, provided me with structured distance learning during my first trip at sea to overcome this deficiency and launch me on my career.
Whilst I was at sea
Seafarers Libraries, still provided today by the MSSC, provided a varied selection of books – and since trips were long, and the quantity of books limited, also ensured I widened my taste in reading material!
After I moved into shipping management I saw the great work by the Sea Cadets working with young people in places as far apart as St. Albans in the UK and St. George’s in Bermuda. It is for these reasons that I was so pleased to recently have the honour of being appointed as a Council Member (Trustee) of the MSSC and I look forward to actively supporting the organisation in the future.
Captain Nigel Palmer OBE
Chairman, Merchant Navy Training Board