Our friends at the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEst) wrote a great article for Changing Course entitled ‘Swallowing the anchor: How not to choke when making the transition from ship to shore’. You can read the full article here.
Their survey found the prospect of coming ashore to progress careers was still daunting to many.
Specific challenges identified included:
- Practicalities of arranging interviews while on shore leave
- Cultural changes, including new working hours, less hierarchical management structures and unclear boundaries
- Soft skills for people management, such as leadership, communication, negotiating and networking
So what can individuals and employers do to ease this transition?
Preparing to come ashore while still at sea was identified as a key factor in individual success; including studying for more traditional management qualifications and preparing for the change in culture.
Secondments ashore were cited as one other possible solution, while 88% of survey respondents believing that the right sort of education or training would assist the transition.
“Leadership and management skills are essential to prove your worth to an employer and to complement the range of engineering skills that you have acquired at sea” said one chief engineer.
Our Maritime Leadership Development Programme can do just that. Recognised by IMarEST as contributing to their members’ individual professional development, the programme provides individuals with the tools and techniques to manage, develop and engage high performing teams – either at sea or on shore.
Developing seafaring staff will not only prepare them for their transition ashore in the future but also help support effective leadership on board now.
Our next programme is taking place in Singapore in December 2018. Click here to find out more about the programme, which is eligible for funding from the MPA.
Future programme dates will be announced in the new year, so get in touch to register your interest.
