This paper reports on the recent development and changes to Maritime Education and Training (MET) identifying the deficiencies and best practices across Europe in order to create common STCW compliant MET programmes as well as provide seafarers with an online guidance tool to enable them to have professional careers support.
This paper reports on the EU Transversal UniMET project which intends to harmonise MET practices across Europe by identifying the best practices. The UniMET partnership, working in collaboration with major awarding, accrediting and licensing bodies intends to cross reference and include the international and local/national requirements into the UniMET programme with the aim of embedding the programme.
The second part of the paper reports on the EU Leonardo SAIL AHEAD Project which concerns the development of an on-line guidance tool in order to provide a second career for deck officers/captains. Research has indicated that seafarers in general have a job with extraordinary features and that there is reluctance by many young people to join the seafaring profession even though the salaries in the sector are very attractive. Recent reports by prominent maritime organisations (such as BIMCO, ISF) have predicted severe officer shortages in the future. The research is expected to identify the transferable skills by comparing the curricula of different Maritime Education and Training (MET) institutions and by surveying the knowledge, skills and competences deck officers/captains developed during their education and training as well as in their seafaring profession. The tool is a road map and provides a list of competences that captains acquired in their education and training and when working at sea and a list of what knowledge, skills and competences they need to successfully seek employment onshore.