Contributed by Capt. Inderveer Solanki
M.Sc. Maritime Affairs, World Maritime University
Vice-President (Academics and Research), ARI
Here is the abridged version of recommendations for Attracting Larger pool of Talent to Merchant Navy. Full Text can be accessed on website, www.marinersnetwork.com.


Attracting Talented Youth from India to Merchant Navy

Indian Shipping HR professionals are hampered in their growth by shortage of skilled Indians.
But due to lack of information about the career in merchant navy in India, the shipping industry is unable to tap this large source of talented youth from semi urban and rural India.
The author suggests different methods of attracting the talented youth from rural and semi urban background to the shipping Industry.

How People Choose A Career
Choosing a career is a dynamic process and a Person learns about careers and self through his social learning behaviour comprising of interaction and information exchange with the environment i.e. school, family, neighbourhood and media as well as guidance from parents, teachers, peers and society.
The guidance and information exchange will depend on visibility of the career in society. That may be through experience, observation, books, newspaper, movies, television, internet, radio programs and seminars.
Present Visibility of Career in Merchant Navy
Career in merchant navy is invisible to the students and society at large in-spite of the shipping industry carrying about 90% of the world trade. Newspapers rarely carry news about career at sea except of news of mishaps or accidents. Books or cartoon on shipping are rare commodity now. TV media only covers shipping if there is major causality or accident or pollution. Hence it is necessary to spread awareness about the career in merchant navy to attract the talented youth.

Spreading Awareness

The means of spreading awareness are suggested at three development stages of career choice namely fantasy, tentative and realistic.


Fantasy stage (5~11)

The fantasy stage is the preteen stage when the child is free to associate self with different occupations. The association is dependent on availability of toys, games, story books, comics, and cartoons.
Individuals’ career option is most influenced by parents and teachers too.
The means to be used at this stage are:

- Ship models of different ship toys to be distributed by shipping companies similar to aeroplane models on National Maritime day

- "Sindbad the Sailor" may be rewritten with modern view of the global world

- Shipping companies, Maritime education and Training Institutes, Ports authorities, Agents should gift ship related items to spread them in the society

Tentative stage (11~17)

From the age of twelve year onwards through high school the youth further defines his interests in, capacity for and values of an occupational choice. At the same time he begins to do self assessment and mentally prepares self for the matching career options. After making a choice he wants to pursue his interests. So it is essential that an attraction campaign is run along with distribution of complete and authentic information about the career.



The attraction campaign may be done by:

- Advertisements on Doordarshan during one day cricket match. (An expensive option).

- Participating in Republic day parade with tableau showing different type of ships will bring automatic publicity and at very low cost. (Proper literature to be provided to the commentator)

- Website to be created providing complete and authentic career path options in merchant navy

- Shipping companies to hold exhibitions and awareness campaigns using network of ship’s officers and wife’s of seafarers in towns and rural areas.
- Maritime Education and training institutes to hold exhibition and awareness campaigns in there region using their students and faculty. (Compulsory Social Activity during the National Maritime Week)

- DVD’s pertaining to ship’s crossing Panama canal, cargo Handling in Ports etc. may be provided in schools for school lessons to generate interest

- Workshops to be organised under the aegis of DG shipping in four metros inviting teachers from Kendriya Vidyalayas (980 Schools), Navodaya Vidyalayas (565 Schools) of the region.

- Ship related games and simulation may be installed at science exhibitions or gallery

- Maritime union of India (MUI) and National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) should be asked to promulgate the career options and information about the career

- Indira Gandhi national Open University (IGNOU) has 58 regional centres, 7 sub-regional centres and 1400 study centres. This wide network can be used for distribution of information as well as for career guidance

- Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) passenger ships may be used for summer camps for students with science background and selected from rural region (NCC network)

- Time slots on FM and other radio stations may be used related to career guidance

- FOSMA, MASA, INSA should participate in education and career fair or organise there own fairs

- Institutes may use paper pamphlets in local newspapers in rural areas (Using News paper agents)

Let Us Spread The Information
Information about careers in Merchant Navy can be developed in Electronic and brochure form and can be updated and be made easily available. The information should be made freely available as follows:

- Merchant navy career Web link on www.dgshipping.com to be provided

- The brochure should be available at the front desks of DG shipping, MMD’s, Shipping company offices, Maritime Education and Training Institutes and MUI and NUSI

- The brochures shall be sent to the addresses of merchant navy officers (Addresses Database of INDOS number to be used).

- A number of reputed public schools undertake SUPW (Socially Useful and Productive Work) activities by selecting villages in the close proximity of the school. A tie up / mechanism can be created with such schools to portray the merchant navy as a career option at the grass root level.

- The brochures shall be distributed in schools during visits by ship’s officers and faculty and cadets

- The brochures shall be made available at IGNOU centres

Realistic stage (17~25)

These years are also referred to as crystallizing stage (Super, 1995) of the individual when he starts to recognise the consequences and responsibilities of different career choices.

At this stage information and guidance about the career shall be made available to the students. This is possible by using the following means:-

- A toll free number may be created for the students to seek advise on careers in merchant navy

- Contact emails and telephone numbers of career counsellors delegated from METI may be provided on the websites and brochures

- Teachers may be identified in schools to be the contact points for students and METI alike


Role of the Key players

For the awareness campaign to be successful the participation and contribution from the key players in the shipping industry is essential. The role of the different partners is outlined below.

DG Shipping

DG shipping can facilitate coordination of different shipping companies, ship management companies and manning agents to make such arrangements. The coordination with government agencies like NCC, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, summer camp on SCI ship and Republic day celebration committee can be best organised with support from DG shipping.

The dates of submission of application forms, examinations and commencement of courses may be fixed so that the prospective candidates are not lost out due to lack of information pertaining to submission of forms.

Shipping companies, Ship Management companies and Manning Agents

Shipping companies, Ship Management companies and Manning Agents are in direct contact with seafarers and are in a position to ask ship’s officers to give presentations in schools in there region. They are also in a position to arrange seminars and workshops in small towns.

FOSMA, MASA and INSA

The members of these associations employ ship’s officers and these associations can collect funds required for the different awareness campaigns. The associations to organise seminars, workshops exhibitions on ship related activities. The association to help create a website for merchant navy careers and a brochure containing information on careers in merchant navy.

MUI and NUSI

The magazines printed by MUI and NUSI can be used for advertising and circulating information relating to careers in merchant navy.

Professional Associations

The professional associations like the Nautical Institute and Company of Master Mariners of India have large memberships and they hold seminars and workshops at regular intervals. These associations can be requested to invite students and teachers from select schools, within the city, for seminars conducted in the city.

Maritime Education and Training Institutes

Maritime education and training institutes are in very important position to spread awareness about the career and The institutes should establish a career awareness and guidance cell that will provide continuous help to prospective students. The cell shall promote the career in the rural areas. A mechanism can be created of awarding marks to the cadets and approved by the DG as part of the pre-sea syllabus.

Conclusion

The onus of the awareness and career guidance campaigns not only rests with DG shipping but also with other key beneficiaries like shipping companies, ship management companies, manning agents and maritime training institutes. All these players need to contribute funds towards the cause as well as play important role in organisation of events to spread awareness. The seafarers also tacitly benefit from the campaign as the society would start recognising there importance and hence a raise in there status. Therefore, they also need to participate in the awareness campaigns. In fact they are the main ambassadors of the career in merchant navy and shipping industry. The time is just right for such campaign when the shortage of well trained officers is looming large on the industry. The campaign is likely to be a win - win situation for all including the talented youth from rural India who will benefit economically.

At The Footnotes, The Marine World and www.marinersnetwork.com has tied up with Social Networking Circle www.apnacircle.com, An Initiative with an ex sailor Yogesh Bansal and Sabeer Bhatia, The Hot mail founder. www.apnacircle.com has more than 50,000 members who are class X to XII students. Total membership is double of that. Shipping companies and Training institutes interested in spreading their message and brand to targeted students across the length and breadth of Indian can contact marinersnetwork@gmail.com and yogesh@apnacircle.com