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Indian officers are specially a respected lot in the maritime industry,
even though the crew lag behind the Filipinos who are natural born seamen due
to the natural conditions prevailing there with thousands of island around;
still Indian crew have also started to work their ways to the top. Academically
Indians have done a good job especially when we compare their analytical skills
and coming to a logical conclusion faster and effectively solving the problem
successfully. Hats off to the senior marine officers who have imparted their
knowledge and skills to the new seafarers. However there are areas where we
have to improve and also move forward to keep up our standards. Some common
points that are affecting the Indian seafarers are due to the large flooding of
colleges approved by DG which have not only become commercial but also has
brought down the standard of the officers. Of late DG has also started to crack
down on these institutes and that is a good sign. More and more practical
skills need to be imparted to officers from both the deck and engine as just
being good theoretically doesn’t mean that you are perfect and can handle all
situations. When one is faced with a tough situation it is also his practical
knowledge that comes to play and help save time and money, as shipping is all
about money these days. This is where the importance of the new maritime
institutes and the faculty who train the candidates are put to test.
Psychometric tests adopted during selection procedures of the seafarers have
already started yielding results with people with strong will power and cool
and composed mind coming up the stream; they have also helped the sea farers to
undergo tension and breakdowns in a cool and composed manner. The faculty
should also emphasize on a holistic approach of teaching when they do with the seafarers.
Even though the opportunities for seafarers in the shore job has increased with
the presence of a lot of institutes popping up the same cannot be said about
the standard these institutes are are bringing out in the form of cadets; there
has definitely been a downfall in the professional standards of the candidates
passing out of some of these institutes; hence the challenge before the
maritime industry in India is multifold
with students only concerned about their promotion and salaries and not
interested in their jobs.Most of the candidates who join are also only
influenced by the lifestyle of the seafarers but haven’t really got down to see
what the profession is really about; also we cannot blame them completely as
institutes in order to get more students also have lowered their standards of
selection and criteria as it has really become a good money making business.
WHAT IS NEEDED
A)
A reality
check on all institutes and cancel licences to those underperforming and cannot
offer a placement
B)
Compulsory
psychometric tests for selecting candidates apart from their academic
performance
C)
Candidates
to be exposed to the reality of the job and should be well briefed about the
requirements of the job
D)
Institutes
to have more practical based training to help the candidate in their job
onboard, ship in campus is a right step towards this goal,but adequate training
is also required and must be provided by the institutes.
E)
Experienced
trainers required in the institutes who can impart both practical and
theoretical knowledge
F)
Corrupt practices
in maritime industry specially for employment and agencies who just take
candidates by taking money must be stopped immediately.
G)
Competition
among seafarers for best seafarer in each company should be encouraged based on
performance
H)
Candidates
who clear their exams in a limited time also to be rewarded suitably by the
companies
I)
Promotions
also to be both experienced and knowledge based.
For all this
to happen the faculty who train the seafarers will be the ones responsible to
bring out the best in the candidates and also impart the best knowledge and
training required ; so its just not enough that the trainers undergo a TOTA
course or are doing a side business more dedication and teamwork from them is
also required. Also there should be workshops held for the entire teaching
faculty from across India regularly to impart them with the new technical
knowledge and skills in teaching the new generation sea farers. Knowledge is definitely
to be shared but should not be made into a business and a money making racket.
Even though it’s
a small initiative I have tried to put the cause of Indian seafarers specially
the new generation ones problems and the immediate requirements that has to be
addressed to make India a no.1 maritime nation in the world, I welcome your
kind suggestions and other ideas to make our nation a maritime force in the world.
