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The 2023 London International Shipping Week has come and gone and as in previous years, Marine Society were as active as ever, in what was a successful and insightful series of events focused on people, skills, welfare and careers promotion across the world of maritime.

From seminars to conferences, organisations including Maritime Skills Alliance, Nautical Institute, Maritime UK, UK Chamber of Shipping and British Ports Association played host to a number of key stakeholders. Marine Society’s Director of Maritime Training and Development, Darrell Bate, and Head of Seafarer Learning and Welfare, Carla Rockson, attended a number of events covering topics such as training, welfare, careers promotion and diversity.

Marine Society were delighted to be a sponsor of the Trinity House Maritime Careers and Opportunities event held onboard THV Galatea to promote their apprenticeship programmes, alongside Merchant Navy cadetships as an excellent career path into jobs at sea. We also attended the Maritime UK Women in Maritime conference that highlighted key points on how to not only try and strengthen the gender imbalance in maritime, but to also support existing women within the sector. Coming Ashore mentor. A number of our Coming Ashore mentors were heavily involved in the week, including the Nautical Institute networking event and a book launch at the Little Ship Club.

Overall, it was a successful week, providing a great opportunity for Marine Society staff to network widely with fellow professionals in the sector and promote our services to a range of stakeholders and potential beneficiaries.

Welcome to your digital Summer issue of Seafarer News

In this issue we look at the new and improved Coming Ashore podcast, we explore Meteoroogy@Sea and all of the Marine Society's bursary schemes. Elsewhere, Sea Cadets now hold a Guinness World Record and the National Support Centre for all of MSSC has now officially opened!

Click here to view the latest issue

Welcome to your digital Spring issue of Seafarer News

In this issue we look at the first placement undertaken through the Coming Ashore SSIPS scheme, new Learn@Sea courses and Marine Society's new apprenticeship partership with the United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA).

Click here to view the latest issue

Marine Society’s Coming Ashore programme is now in its fourth year of operation and has welcomed nearly 400 seafarers onto the programme in their search for a smooth transition to a shore-side maritime role.

The programme has now progressed to a stage where it now offers a work placement scheme titled Sea to Shore Placement Scheme (SSIPS). This initiative gives employers the opportunity to declare their interest in finding interns to fill placement roles, hopefully leading to permanent roles within their company.

The key for the Coming Ashore mentees is to experience life ashore before making the permanent transition, to see if the sector of their choice is what they hoped for and if there skillset aligns with the role.

Nazmus Sakib was the first mentee to obtain a work placement through the SSIPS scheme at Thomas Miller, the managers of the UK P&I Club. The placement catered specifically to his interest in maritime law and claims, and reaffirmed his decision to move ashore.

“Working in the UK P&I Club gave me the practical experience to see how people are handling the claims. The 2-week placement gave me the chance to work directly with the claims team and work on real life cases.

I took part in training sessions helping me to understand cargo claims and the steps taken when an emergency occurs.

Overall, I know now that when I finish my master’s degree, I can meet the expectations the UK P&I Club have for me. It has made my journey much clearer.”

One of the UK P&I Club’s Regional Claims Directors, Thomas Starr, a former mariner himself, was delighted with Nazmus’ input during the fortnight and believes the initiative is very positive for seafarers in the same predicament.

“For us it’s about a wider support and helping the industry that we are all so passionate about.

As an employer of ex-mariners, it's only right that we give back to the industry and help people get some insight into the way the maritime services sector and marine insurance work. So we're happy to support it going forward.”

If you would like to register your interest in offering a SSIP please complete this form.

Marine Society has announced a new partnership with Isle of Wight-based charity, United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA).

The two organisations are working together to offer apprenticeships across the UK, helping younger people take their vital first steps towards a career in maritime.

Budding young seafarers have the opportunity to undertake the Level 2 Port Operative Apprenticeship or the Level 3 Workboat Crew Member Apprenticeship.

The Port Operative Apprenticeship contains a series of practical elements to help apprentices understand how to carry out port operative duties. They play an important role in the delivery, loading, unloading and general handling of goods and cargo, making sure it is done safely and securely.

The Workboat Crew Member Apprenticeship is a two-year programme designed to give young people the skills to operate effectively on a variety of workboat vessels, ranging from tugboats to crew transfer vessels. Workboats offer essential survey and towage services in many marine environments, including ports and offshore wind farms.

Ben Willows, CEO of UKSA, said: “Industry partnerships like this are incredibly important for creating more pathways in maritime. The more opportunities on offer, the more young people we can get into the workplace to start long-term maritime careers fulfilling vital roles in the maritime industry.”

Darrell Bate, Director of Maritime Training and Development at The Marine Society reiterated the importance of this partnership, saying:  “We are thrilled to partner with a renowned maritime organisation who share our passion for high standards of training and will enable us to expand the number of apprentices training in the maritime sector. We look forward to developing our offer with UKSA in response to the growing employer demand for relevant skills”

To discuss the apprenticeships on offer and how you can become a Marine Society/UKSA apprentice, please contact learning@ms-sc.org or call Darrell Bate 07904 118841. More information is also available at www.uksa.org .