Attracting talent is a big challenge for every industry, but mostly for shipping which saw a diminishing reputation as a result of the crew change crisis. Meanwhile, current figures show an expected shortage in the maritime workforce by 2030. Amid this, soft skills should become a bigger priority among industry stakeholders in the near future, experts agreed during the 2022 Crew Welfare Week Virtual Forum in June.
Soft skills and shipping: The current landscape
A global manpower survey, issued by the World Bank, shows an upcoming global skills shortage worldwide. At the same time, unemployment rates are high, which shows there is a mismatch between the required skills and the talent available and which is expected to affect the shipping industry, noted Capt. Parani VS, HSSEQ Manager, Tufton Asset Management Ltd.
Among the available talent, shipping will have to compete with other industries for that talent. For example, if you (shipping) need more technologically savvy people, you will have to fight for this talent,
…he noted.
The pandemic, the global geopolitical instability and its economic impact, along with a greater global focus on sustainability and ESG, will be among the key factors to affect employment in the shipping industry in the near future, added RAdm Bill Truelove, Managing Director, CSMART Training Center. Moreover, the future workforce will be motivated by a range of things beyond economics -it will be about the individual but will also equally be about the family- and the industry will need to be able to respond to that, he added.
“I think, likely because of the perennial problems of manpower supply, we will see more women in the industry. The numbers are growing but there is still a very tiny proportion of the total workforce, we’ll see more cultural diversity in the business among seafarers, we’ll see greater numbers of seafarers employed because that’s the way the interplay growing year by year, we’ll have better trade personnel, we will have better connectivity as well amongst the crews,
…said Capt. John Dolan, Deputy Director, Loss Prevention, Standard Club.
How can the industry cope with these changes?
By having good leaders who are capable of establishing direction, aligning, motivating and inspiring the people,
…stressed Bjarke Jakobsen, Partner & Senior Consultant, Green Jakobsen.
“It is a profession that is not easy; it is difficult, it requires to have experience, to have knowledge, to have skills. Sometimes that is not very clear to the new generation, who might don’t give importance to the profession, the importance that it has…So, I believe that we have to promote the profession in the correct way, to make clear today to the new generation what it is and what opportunities there are for them if they join the industry,
…noted Aggeliki Saranti, Crewing Recruitment Officer, Euronav.
We have bigger problems out there which are not up to the shipping companies or the seafarers to solve. So, in order to attract talents, we need a bigger collective campaign, bigger than the shipping companies, bigger than the industry stakeholders…We need to have the countries actively involved because all countries benefit from shipping,
…added Capt. Dimitris Fokas, Training Manager, Angelicoussis Group.
What can the industry do with respect to training?
Capt. Parani recommended:
1. Increase the training budget: This will get the best people involved in training in the maritime industry
2. Look at training as a continuous process: Training is not just a one-off thing but a continuous process to ensure learning and work at the same time.
3. Take advantage of social media: Social media enable microlearning in small bits that can be very effective.
4. Make use of big data: Using big data from work and training can help find the most effective way to train.
5. Involve the top management: Training should not be just left to the HR but even the top management has to put their weight behind all the training efforts.
Soft skills and leadership
Mentoring is a vital soft skill for leaders of tomorrow, the panelists agreed. More specifically, big importance should be given to the ability to give corrective feedback, stressed Mr. Jakobsen. Currently, leadership is all about setting direction and motivating others to follow that direction, but even if leaders are good communicators, people will not necessarily follow them, so they have to learn how to give corrective feedback, he explained.
“What is important is how the soft skills are applied at work and that starts with leading by example right from the office. Let’s say how the manager or the superintendent interacts with the master and the rest of the crew is what sets the tone for good leadership onboard and then that passes on,
…added Capt. Parani.
Research has shown that focus on soft skills will enhance overall safety and further reduce incident rates, so through people’s actions and behaviors, soft skills can actually contribute to a culture of high performance. So, my key message to the industry stakeholders and seafarers is to give the development of soft skills more priority,
…concluded Mr. Jakobsen.
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