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Posted: January 24th, 2023

The role of maritime education and training

The role of maritime education and training

Maritime education and training (MET) is the process of developing and enhancing the knowledge, skills and competencies of seafarers and other maritime professionals. MET is essential for ensuring the safety, efficiency and sustainability of the maritime industry, which plays a vital role in the global economy and trade.

MET has evolved over time to meet the changing needs and challenges of the maritime sector, which is influenced by factors such as technological innovation, environmental regulation, social responsibility and market demand. MET has also become more diverse and flexible, offering various pathways and modes of delivery for learners with different backgrounds, goals and preferences.

In this blog post, we will explore some of the trends, challenges and opportunities in MET, based on recent research and best practices. We will also provide some recommendations for improving the quality and relevance of MET in the context of the digital era and the fourth industrial revolution.

Trends in MET

One of the main trends in MET is the increasing integration of vocational and academic approaches, which aim to provide both specific and restricted competence outcomes and more general or deeper academic components leading to an academic qualification (Manuel, 2017). This trend reflects the need for seafarers and other maritime professionals to have a broad range of skills and competencies, including technical, operational, managerial, analytical and critical thinking skills.

Another trend in MET is the adoption of new technologies and methods for delivering education and training, such as e-learning, blended learning, simulation, virtual reality, augmented reality and gamification. These technologies and methods offer several benefits, such as enhancing learner engagement, motivation, collaboration and feedback; facilitating access, flexibility and personalization; reducing costs and environmental impacts; and improving learning outcomes and assessment (Singh et al., 2022).

A third trend in MET is the recognition of the importance of human factors and non-technical skills for maritime safety and performance. Human factors are the interactions between humans, technology, environment and organization that affect how people perform their tasks. Non-technical skills are the cognitive, social and personal skills that complement technical skills and enable effective performance in complex situations. Examples of non-technical skills include situational awareness, decision making, communication, teamwork, leadership and resilience. MET programs are increasingly incorporating human factors and non-technical skills into their curricula and pedagogy, using approaches such as Maritime Resource Management (MRM), Crew Resource Management (CRM) and Bridge Resource Management (BRM) (Eriksson et al., 2020).

Challenges in MET

Despite these positive trends, MET also faces several challenges that need to be addressed. One of the main challenges is the alignment of MET with the current and future needs of the maritime industry. As the industry undergoes rapid transformation due to digitalisation and decarbonisation, new skills and competencies are required for seafarers and other maritime professionals to operate effectively in a complex eco-socio-technical environment. However, there is often a gap between what is taught in MET programs and what is expected in practice. This gap can be attributed to factors such as academic drift, outdated curricula, insufficient industry input, lack of standardisation, inadequate quality assurance and slow adaptation to change (Singh et al., 2022).

Another challenge in MET is the attraction
and retention of qualified learners
and instructors. The maritime industry suffers from a shortage of skilled personnel,
both at sea
and ashore,
due to factors such as ageing workforce,
low awareness,
negative perception,
poor working conditions,
lack of career progression
and high competition from other sectors.
This challenge affects
the quality
and sustainability
of MET,
as there is a limited pool
of potential learners
and instructors
to choose from.
Moreover,
there is a high attrition rate
among learners
and instructors,
due to factors such as dissatisfaction,
burnout,
stress
and health issues.
Therefore,
MET needs
to adopt strategies
to attract
and retain talent,
such as improving awareness,
image
and reputation;
offering incentives,
scholarships
and career guidance;
providing support,
mentoring
and feedback;
and creating a conducive learning
and teaching environment (Haraldson et al., 2021).

Opportunities in MET

Despite these challenges,
MET also has several opportunities
to improve
and innovate.
One
of the main opportunities
is to leverage
the potential
of digital technologies
and data analytics
to enhance learning outcomes
and assessment.
Digital technologies can enable more interactive,
immersive
and realistic learning experiences,
as well as more personalised,
adaptive
and formative assessment.
Data analytics can provide valuable insights into learner behaviour,
performance
and feedback,
as well as instructor effectiveness,
quality assurance
and improvement.
However,
to realise this opportunity,
MET needs to overcome some barriers,
such as lack of infrastructure,
resources
and skills;
resistance to change;
privacy
and security issues;
and ethical
and legal implications (Lind et al., 2021).

Another opportunity in MET is to foster collaboration and coordination among different stakeholders, such as learners, instructors, educational institutions, industry partners, regulators, policy makers and researchers. Collaboration and coordination can facilitate the exchange of information, knowledge and best practices; the alignment of standards, expectations and outcomes; the identification of needs, gaps and solutions; and the development of innovative and sustainable initiatives. However, to achieve this opportunity, MET needs to overcome some challenges, such as lack of trust, communication and engagement; conflicting interests and agendas; and cultural and institutional differences (Watson et al., 2021).

Recommendations for MET

Based on the above analysis,
we propose some recommendations
for improving
the quality
and relevance
of MET
in the context
of the digital era
and the fourth industrial revolution.

– Update
and revise
the curricula
and pedagogy
of MET programs
to reflect
the current
and future needs
and challenges
of the maritime industry,
especially in terms
of digitalisation
and decarbonisation.
– Incorporate human factors
and non-technical skills
into MET programs,
using evidence-based approaches
such as MRM,
CRM
and BRM,
to enhance maritime safety
and performance.
– Adopt new technologies
and methods
for delivering education
and training,
such as e-learning,
blended learning,
simulation,
virtual reality,
augmented reality
and gamification,
to enhance learner engagement,
motivation,
collaboration
and feedback.
– Use data analytics
to monitor
and evaluate learner behaviour,
performance
and feedback,
as well as instructor effectiveness,
quality assurance
and improvement.
– Implement strategies
to attract
and retain qualified learners
and instructors,
such as improving awareness,
image
and reputation;
offering incentives,
scholarships
and career guidance;
providing support,
mentoring
and feedback;
and creating a conducive learning
and teaching environment.
– Foster collaboration
and coordination among different stakeholders,
such as learners,
instructors,
educational institutions,
industry partners,
regulators,
policy makers
and researchers,
to facilitate the exchange of information,
knowledge
and best practices;
the alignment of standards,
expectations
and outcomes;
the identification of needs,
gaps
and solutions;
and the development of innovative
and sustainable initiatives.

Conclusion

MET is a crucial component of the maritime industry, which contributes significantly to the global economy and trade. MET has evolved over time to meet the changing needs and challenges of the maritime sector, which is influenced by factors such as technological innovation, environmental regulation, social responsibility and market demand. MET has also become more diverse and flexible, offering various pathways and modes of delivery for learners with different backgrounds, goals and preferences.

However, MET also faces several challenges that need to be addressed, such as the alignment of MET with the current and future needs of the industry, and the attraction and retention of qualified learners and instructors. MET also has several opportunities to improve and innovate, such as leveraging the potential of digital technologies and data analytics to enhance learning outcomes and assessment, and fostering collaboration and coordination among different stakeholders to facilitate the exchange of information, knowledge and best practices.

In this blog post, we have explored some of the trends, challenges and opportunities in MET, based on recent research and best practices. We have also provided some recommendations for improving the quality and relevance of MET in the context of the digital era and the fourth industrial revolution. We hope that this blog post will stimulate further discussion and action among all those involved in MET, to ensure that seafarers and other maritime professionals are well-equipped with the skills and competencies they need to operate effectively in a complex eco-socio-technical environment.

References

Eriksson O.F., Carson-Jackson J., Rambarath-Parasram V. (2020) Maritime Resource Management in the Marine Engineering and Nautical Science Education – Attitudes and Implication for Training and Evaluation. In: Kitada M., Ölçer A., Dalaklis D., Ballini F. (eds) Trends and Challenges in Maritime Energy Management. WMU Studies in Maritime Affairs, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12420-7_17

Haraldson S., Lind M., Watson R.T., Carson-Jackson J., Eriksson O.F., Rambarath-Parasram V. (2021) Smart Shipping Needs Smart Maritime Education and Training. In: Kitada M., Ölçer A., Dalaklis D., Ballini F. (eds) Smart Shipping: Trends & Developments. WMU Studies in Maritime Affairs, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68025-9_14

Lind M., Lehmacher

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