Connectivity is becoming a significant factor in recruitment, particularly for those entering the industry. Young people who have grown up taking connectivity so granted consider the ability to get online a significant deciding factor for a career at sea, the report ‘Navigating everyday connectivities at sea’ says.
Namely, levels of onboard connectivity influence the choices seafarers make about future employments and about future employers. Specifically, during a test where in one ship there were 50MB of data, while on the other none, participants were intrigued.
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In fact, when asked why there is that difference, some participants suggested that this was due to the cost of providing internet aboard ships, while others believed that this related to companies not wanting their employees to be distracted by social media or other digital platforms.
Namely, one participant said:
I’ve heard that other ships have unlimited internet access. Is that true? If it is, we should have it too.
Thus, rumours about the provision of WiFi on other ships took place on both ships. Most participants knew people who had left companies that did not provide onboard WiFi access in order to join companies where connectivity was perceived to be “better”.
What is more, some participants had experience from other ships where they had been given a weekly 25GB data allowance, which was seen to be sufficient to enable them to do what they wanted to do. Taking this into consideration, there was a suggestion that more connectivity brought more happiness.
As a result, for many, the prospect of ‘more’ and ‘better’ connectivity was understood to be a key driving force behind choice of employer. However, since connectivity is one of the main priorities for seafarers, participants found it difficult to understand why this was not being taken seriously by companies in general.
In fact, it was noted that there is now an expectation that you will have internet access wherever you go, including at sea. Questions raised by potential recruits was described as relating to speed and reliability of the connections, rather than whether internet access was provided.
Concluding, the report noted that it would be generally difficult to recruit and retain ‘talented young people’ without providing them with reliant and sufficient onboard internet connectivity.
