Annual General Assembly 2003 - Alexandria

Session 10 WGII

Enriching Seafarers in the 3rd Millennium: IAMU Options

Shashi KUMAR

Loeb-Sullivan School of International Business and Logistics, Maine Maritime Academy, Castine, Maine 04420, USA
E-mail: skumar@mma.edu

ABSTRACT

Despite the technological sophistication that abounds shipping and its environs today, the challenges and responsibilities of contemporary seafarers are as daunting as those of their predecessors. The intense work environment and increasing responsibilities mandated by local, national and supranational agencies along with the ship-owners' enhancement of minimum acceptable performance metrics have exacerbated the challenges facing seafarers today. Accordingly, there is a dire need for enriching the skill sets of seafarers so that they are better prepared for the contemporary era. Furthermore, one also ought to note the very high turnover rate among seafarers worldwide. As many of the seafarers seeking career advancement options are likely to go their alma mater--a maritime university where they learned their ropes--it is only pertinent that such institutions enrich the lives of their alumni through the offering of appropriate advanced educational programs and enhance their lifelong employability in related fields. This would facilitate the intellectual and professional growth of the recipients besides being a contributor toward economic growth and societal welfare in general. The International Association of Maritime Universities constitutes an excellent gathering of providers of high caliber maritime education with a proven track-record and is ideally placed to take the leadership in enriching seafarers in the 3rd millennium.

The paper will document and analyze the requisite skill sets required to function effectively in the contemporary workplace. It discusses a newly proposed model of higher education that stresses building core foundational skills in college graduates for enrichment and lifelong learning and employability. Application of the model to maritime education and training will show the superiority of maritime universities in fostering these core foundational skill sets among their graduates compared to traditional universities. Those areas where the maritime universities are deficient in enriching their graduates will also be highlighted. As a real-world case study, a Maine Maritime Academy model will be discussed to exemplify how enrichment takes place in one particular academic division.

A follow-up study, if approved by IAMU, will expand the scope of the study and involve in-depth primary research. It will document how IAMU member institutions foster the four basic foundational skills among its graduates and enrich their lives for lifelong employability in the 3rd millennium. All IAMU institutions will benefit from such a study as it will serve as a useful compilation of educational enrichment options among member institutions. The organization itself will benefit from such a project as it could be used for promotional purposes besides serving as a useful supporting document while seeking grants from governmental and/or non-governmental agencies.

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