1 INTRODUCTION

Shipping, or the maritime industry as a whole, has

been described as the “lifeblood of world trade”

without which “half the world will freeze and the

other will starve” [26]. What is often not as clearly

stated is that seafarers are the lifeblood of the

shipping/maritime industry! Indeed, in earlier

decades of shipping, the availability of competent

seafarers was taken for granted. However,

developments since the late 1970s show that this

assumption of an unlimited supply of seafarers was

flawed. Seafarer competence is increasingly

recognized as a sine qua non in a context of increasing

complexity of shipping and greater dependence of

world trade on the shipping industry. Together with a

number of significant accidents attributable to the so-

called “human element”, an increasing perception of a

“shortage of seafarers” (both in terms of numbers and

quality) has culminated in a near global drive to

increase the attractiveness of a seagoing career to

young people and to highlight the merits of a life at

sea. Such efforts were primarily initiated under the

auspices of the International Maritime Organization

(with a “Go to Sea Campaign”), but with significant

expression in national contexts. These efforts sought

to optimize strategies for attracting young persons to

a seafaring career. More recently the IMO, with

reference to creating a concept of a sustainable

maritime transportation system, indicated three goals

Sustainable Maritime Career Development: A case for

Maritime Education and Training (MET) at the

Secondary Level

S. Heirs

1,2

& M. Manuel

1 World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden

2 The Caribbean Maritime University, Kingston Jamaica

ABSTRACT: This study interrogated the relevance of maritime education and training (MET) at the secondary

level as an effective strategy for developing a sustainable supply of maritime labour and to mitigate current and

future supply-demand imbalances arising from philosophical and sociological changes in society and in the

maritime industry. Secondary education and its associated curriculum may be developed to form the

underlying fundamentals of early awareness of maritime concepts targeted at youth of ages 11-18 years. To find

answers to five research questions relating to this topic, a mixed method approach was applied in collecting and

analysing data. The findings indicate strong evidence of the importance and relevance of MET at the secondary

level. They further show this importance as it relates to an appreciation by the youth of the maritime industry as

a domain for technical career options and to the creation of a sense of stewardship of the world’s oceans.

Despite these positive findings, the study also finds that a number of key stakeholders are unaware of the

potential and role of the maritime industry leading to a notable barrier to the implementation of MET at the

secondary level and a lack of the necessary rigour and focus on promoting the industry to the youth via MET in

secondary education. The study concludes by noting that there is a need for a focus on reforming the curricula

of national secondary education system, where appropriate, as a first step towards the achieving the benefits of

implementation of MET at the secondary level.

http://www.transnav.eu

the International Journal

on Marine Navigation

and Safety of Sea Transportation

Volume 15

Number 1

March 2021

DOI: 10.12716/1001.15.01.08

relating to the “education and training in maritime

professions, and support for seafarers” [16].

It is noteworthy, however, that in the main, the

attempts make no reference to or was vague in their

interrogation of early exposure to students of the

maritime industry. The approach has been essentially

a “maritime industry marketing approach” targeted at

individuals at the cusp of a career choice, which

approach sought to have the maritime industry

“compete” against other potentially attractive careers.

However, the sustainable supply of seafarers, rests on

much more than the marketing of the shipping

industry to near post-secondary students. It is related

to the nature of demand of seafarers (kind and

number of ships, for example), a consciousness and

understanding of the workings of the shipping

industry, its importance, challenges, opportunities

and future. One other more recent area of focus is the

need for a supply of seafarers who have values that

underpin the sustainable use of the ocean; a more

intrinsic valuing and resulting stewardship of oceans,

the context of shipping today. All these and other

factors and influences cannot (or should not) to be

exposed to potential seafarers just when they are

about to complete the second-cycle of education via a

marketing programme. The merits of such an

approach may be deemed to be questionable. Indeed,

opportunity and long-term commitment to a career is

driven by early introduction and exposure to that

career [29].

Despite that tendency to target entry point career

individuals, it does appear that there is evidence that

supports the introduction of MET at the secondary

level and indeed suggests a necessity to do so. This is

akin to the observation made by [29] when the suggest

with respect to early childhood education in America

to bring about meaningful change through early

exposure to potential careers (Haun, 2014).

The above suggests that it is important to target the

youth at the secondary level by creating dynamic and

robust mechanisms (including appropriate curricula

design and extra-curricular activities) that potentially

lead to a sustainable supply of first, seafarers and

secondly long-term professionals in the wider

maritime cluster.

As Haun [12] has noted, secondary schools that

provide maritime education teach subjects related to

the training and skills required to work in the

maritime sector, whether it be as a crew member at

sea or shore side such as in a marine shipyard or port

facility.

The term “maritime” is sometimes used “variably

and interchangeably” with the term “marine” [14]. In

this paper, we use the term “maritime” to refer to the

human activities (transport, tourism, fishing etc.).

Activities that takes place within the natural

environment context, we term “marine”. Though the

confusion with the use of the terms persist these two

terms are complementary when education is in view.

Ultimately it is necessary that training for sustainable

maritime purposes, has to be down with a deep

appreciation of the need for optimum stewardship of

the marine environment. As Hildebrand & Schröder-

Hinrichs (2014) note, “after all, it is but one marine

environment that supports a thriving maritime

industry” [14]. Maritime education and training

(MET), is used here to refer to education and training

for the human related activities associated with the

maritime industry. Additionally, maritime education

and training can be defined as the acquisition of the

knowledge and skills related to subjects in the

maritime field that enhance competence in the

maritime context. The acute deficit of basic maritime

knowledge in lower levels of educational systems in

many jurisdictions, requires more focussed

discussions and action from stakeholders in the

maritime industry. Such foundational knowledge is

beneficial for prepared young students for a

transitionary path to higher levels of learning in the

field, hence, contributing to better competence and a

sustainable supply of qualified human resource.

Furthermore, citizens of the globe need an awareness

of the global industry that shipping is. One medium

of accomplishing these targets successfully is through

purposeful focus on the youth at the secondary level.

The maritime industry has been defined, in general

terms, as “all enterprises engaged in the business of

designing, constructing, manufacturing, acquiring,

operating, supplying, repairing and/or maintaining

vessels, or component parts thereof: of managing

and/or operating shipping lines, and customs

brokerage services, shipyards, dry docks” [24]. The

expansion of the industry has given rise to new

services and careers. This can be seen through the

increasing growth of seaborne trade that (somewhat

tempered by the global depression of 2008-9) which is

has resulted in the shortage of competent seafarers [1].

Additionally, the perception in some quarters of a

lack of maritime industry awareness by the global

community, concerns regarding the risks associated

with ship operation and rapidly increasing

technological innovation, among others, are evidence

of the need for new thinking and strategies in

education and training to meet the demands of the

industry.

In a study done to ascertain student’s motivation

and expectation of studying maritime undergraduate

programme in three countries Greece, Hong Kong,

and China it was revealed that most of the students

enrolled in the undergraduate programme came

straight from the secondary school. “Students who

have enrolled for an undergraduate programme in

maritime studies have typically completed secondary

level education in the previous academic year” [32].

The authors observed that the whole area of student

inclination, access and experience of maritime

education and training programmes is under-

researched, and as such, the real motivation of

students is unknown. However, their own research

showed that most of the students were motivated by

maritime history in their close family and area of

habitation. This was further supported by M’Pherson

[27], when he states, except a young person comes

from a family living near the sea or has some nautical

background or tradition then the sea has little or no

interest to him. Farthing, Brownrigg & Mukherjee

[28], in similar vein also note that there exists a

cultural trend in families characterised by members

having careers or business in shipping, to have the

younger generation pursuing similar careers. An

important question to be asked is: should the future of

the maritime industry be left to family or to

community traditions? The historical channels by

which people enter the industry is, arguably, not

compatible with the increased contemporary needs of

the industry nor for projected needs and global

sustainability issues for the future. A formalized

strategy to sustain the workforce is necessary.

2 PSYCHOLOGY OF MET AT THE SECONDARY

LEVEL

Traditionally, formal secondary education occurs

between about ages 11-13 and 15-18 [39]. This is a very

important stage in the development of young people.

As noted by Salyers and Mckee [38] “young people

between 10-15 years are at the peak of forming values

and making decisions that will impact them for the

rest of their lives”. This is as a result of the brain going

through what has been referred to as “hardwiring,”

which continues throughout adolescence. Meaning,

intellectual activities and practical skills to which the

youth is significantly exposed, and which they have

the greatest opportunity to strengthen, will influence

learning and choices for the rest of their life. Piaget, in

his theory on the development of children, noted that

during the period from 11 to 15, abstract thought and

hypothetical thinking is concretized into lifelong

learning [37]. It can concordantly be assumed that

engaging the youth during this stage with maritime

concepts will provide a greater opportunity of

inculcating in them respect for and attraction to a

maritime career – from operational seafaring to

custodial awareness of the ocean to leadership roles in

maritime policy development and implementation.

3 PURPOSE OF GENERAL SECONDARY

EDUCATION

To support a view that encourages the introduction of

maritime concepts at the secondary level, it is

necessary to develop an appropriate analytical

framework of the purpose of secondary education.

This is to help assess whether there is a valid premise

for introducing MET at this level. Secondary

education is a massive system that ideally emphasizes

open access and universal coverage of education [41].

It purports to be meaningful and relevant to society

and culture. It must consist of multiple and divergent

bodies of knowledge and provide equal opportunity

of content and quality of knowledge [33]. Even very

early research sources acknowledge that this level of

education, in many cases, prepares boys and girls for

their calling in life (see for example [10]). On the other

hand, it is the platform for preserving culture by

training the younger generation through a social

learning process that integrates them into the wider

society and generate an identificatory process with

role models [2]. Additionally, it trains skilled labour

for the workforce [6], while connecting the youth with

their individual interests and stimulating a passion for

new ones [39]. On a broader scope this level of

education liberalizes and trains for participation in

governance e.g. in democracy [20].

Upon careful examination of the purpose of

secondary education articulated, one can extract three

main elements; education for civic and political aims,

education for economic and work related purposes,

and finally education for the self-development of the

individual in expressing and fulfilling their own

passions and hopes. The first two of these elements

which relate primarily to the well-being of the larger

society, will be examined to substantiate the possible

effect and influence secondary education and training

in maritime subjects may have on the wider maritime

sector.

4 EDUCATION FOR CIVIC AND SOCIO-

POLITICAL AIMS

Citizens must be actively engaged in their

communities [39] and every human needs to

understand their culture, political system, rights,

responsibility and heritage [25]. Civic knowledge

informs learners about national views while at the

same time expanding global perspectives.

Additionally, cultural studies afford students at the

secondary level opportunities to develop national

pride, patriotic identity and societal core values that

are engraved in the sociological and philosophical

orientations of the particular society. Fiqueredo &

Anzalone [8] have found that for democracy to

survive, for example, citizens must be informed and

participate in holding officials accountable.

Furthermore, Kahne & Middaugh [18] note that

“knowledge in civics, supports future engagement

among the youth”. As such, students at this level

develop the capacity to critically examine matters and

to make meaningful decisions that will impact change

[6]. Secondary education in the 15th century trained

religious leaders [15]. In the 17th century in the

American setting, secondary education prepared

young people for service in law, religion and college

[7]. Another example of a jurisdiction focusing on

secondary education to achieve a specific social

outcome, is given by Johnson [5] who describe how

the threat of the Soviet Union propelled the United

States, in 1958, to fund secondary education as a

strategy to optimize security.

As stated by Kamens, Meyer, & Benavot [41],

secondary education is generally characterized by

open access and, ideally, universal coverage, implying

that all future leaders are trained at this level: future

policy makers, presidents, prime-ministers, royalty,

doctors, lawyers, maritime experts, principals,

scientists, researchers and parents. Furthermore, an

appreciation for national pride, culture, and heritage

spills over into an obligation to safe guard natural

resources the environment, the sea, land, air and

natural habitat among others. The youth cannot care

for what they are not aware of. Against that

background, an appreciation of the maritime

environment, activities and infrastructure must be

taught at this level to influence civic and political

decisions for present and future prospects – including

the development and implemental of right policies

and legislation at both local and international levels.

For this to become a reality, optimal maritime

educational policies and the supporting frameworks

are key. However, given that many national legal and

administrative systems only started to develop a legal

domestic maritime commercial framework in the early

part of the 20th century [21], one can suggest that

quickly creating good policies for MET at the

secondary level to impact the wider maritime

community may be a significant challenge

5 EDUCATION FOR ECONOMIC AND WORK-

RELATED AIMS

Technical education has been found to equip students

with a wide range of career possibilities [39]. The

academic framework at the secondary level provides

employability skills. In recognition of this, a rigorous

career focus at the immediate post-secondary, but

more importantly at the secondary level, has been

widely promoted in countries such as America [4]. It

was noted that two thirds of the jobs created in the US

by 2018 will require some form of post-secondary

education. Furthermore, a number of government

such as Australia [19], Jamaica [9] and the

Organization for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD) countries created a public

policy of national career guidance to be taught in

public schools [30]. Such education prepares the

labour force for the job market both in terms of

professionalism and competence for the relevant

industries. Technical education prepares students for

future career opportunities [4]. The above indicates

that MET at the secondary level fits perfectly within

the benefits of technical education for present and

future career possibilities in the maritime industry. To

further demonstrate the necessity of MET at the

secondary level in this career context in specific

jurisdictions, reference may be made to numerous

examples of schools visited for career expositions in

Jamaica, where it has been observed that students had

minimal levels of awareness of the maritime industry

and its opportunities. For the most part, institutions

offering courses/programmes in medicine, business,

technology, teaching, agriculture, music, law, and

political science among others, received far more

responses to requests for applications. Those offering

maritime programmes spent more time educating

prospective students about the industry. For more

reasons than one, it is crucial to get the maritime

training and career out in front of the younger

generation, and to do so early in their education in

order that they would appreciate this industry as

offering viable career options and personal

development. Peterson [34], for example, reiterated

the need for younger workers in the merchant marine

industry to be recruited and developed to replace

those retiring as well as those who no longer choose

to work in the industry. There are a number of

attractive and illustrious career options in the

maritime industry that need to be advertised [13].

6 ASSESSING THE PURPOSE OF SECONDARY

EDUCATION IN THE MARITIME SECTOR

Secondary education over the centuries demonstrated

an expansion, inclusion and diversification of subject

topics for the existing needs and growing concerns of

labour, security, leadership, economics, politics and

other socio-cultural issues. However, generally

speaking, there has been a great lack of the maritime

content at that level. It has been found that the

industry has been passive in ‘pushing’ young people

to pursue higher maritime education through the

introduction of relevant courses [32]. One has to bear

in mind the nature of the maritime industry; it is

multinational, multicultural and operates in a

multifunctional and harsh environment. To facilitate

working in such a high-risk environment, seafarers

must be competently trained and if this training starts

at the secondary level it can have far-reaching results.

The industry has increasingly become the focus of

new environmental rules and regulations, and must

now comply with a broad array of requirements in the

areas of air and water quality, hazardous waste

disposal, and aquatic species protection [11]. Safety in

the maritime industry also requires standards to be set

at an international level, and maritime education and

training at all levels should play a key role in

asserting the need for consistent, uniform education

and awareness. The basic tenets of secondary

education policy are the established understanding

that every young person with a secondary education

will be enable to increase their productive capacity

and ultimately contribute to individual, and societal

advancement. The absence of particular knowledge

content will ultimately lead to a lack of response of

the youth in that field.

7 THE SECONDARY CURRICULUM

In advocating for the appreciation of the relevance of

MET at the secondary level, it is crucial that the matter

of curriculum development is discussed. Curriculum

development is influenced under three main domains:

philosophical orientation, psychological consideration

and sociological influences [36].

The philosophical orientation examines the aims

and values of society. It provides clarification of

concepts that examine the epistemology and ontology

of the curriculum, for example, what particular

knowledge is required to address societal concerns.

Within that framework the following questions,

among others, are relevant (Print 1993). On what

grounds should the content be selected and taught?

To what degree should the new reality of society be

reflected in the curriculum? What is the status quo of

the society that requires such knowledge? Who are the

stakeholders in the education sector and what are

their primary concerns? Should the curriculum seek to

address current needs or future anticipated trends?

The psychological consideration takes note of the

pedagogical approach, application of different

learning theories, the kind of learners, the learning

environment, teaching methods, instructors,

assessment and evaluation that may be employed to

achieve the desired outcomes of the curriculum.

The sociological orientation of the curriculum

addresses the societal concerns, namely: culture, social

changes, ideology, technological structure, emerging

trends and challenges. These factors encapsulate the

scope of an integrated, systematic and systemic

thinking that influences curriculum development.

The process of curriculum development is referred

to as ‘institutionalization’ where the rubber meets the

road [3]. If it is poor then the education will be poor

no matter the infrastructure, budget, support or

qualified instructors. The heart of what is taught and

what students learn is embedded in the curriculum

[40].

One of the fundamental obstacles for

implementing MET at the secondary level is the

highly bureaucratic process of curriculum

development. It is believed that the process is highly

politicized [35]. The process is influenced by a number

of stakeholders including teachers, parents, students,

government and industries [36]. Each stakeholder

may bring to the process their own interests be they

political, economic or socio-cultural.

As stated by Print [36] the curriculum should

address societal needs. There is clear evidence of

existing needs experienced by the maritime industry

which requires societal response for the benefit of the

wider society. It is noteworthy to develop appropriate

curricula for MET at the secondary level, it is critical

that all stakeholders, in particular direct maritime

industry operators, contribute to the discussion and

discourse.

8 MET AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL

An important factor alluded as a major concern in

merchant marine shipping is the human element.

Milhar Fuazudeen, Head of the Maritime Training

and Human Element Section at the IMO, (during a

lecture at the WMU on July, 16, 2015) stated that many

people mistakenly focus exclusively on seafarers

when considering the “human element” in the

maritime industry. The term should be deemed to

include all persons involved in the maritime industry.

“The shipping industry is run by people, for people.

People design ships, build them, own them, crew

them, maintain them, repair them and salvage them.

People regulate them, survey them, underwrite them

and investigate them when things go wrong” [23].

Humans are the centre and hub of shipping from

passage planning to policy making. Arguably the

notion of “human element” can be extended even

wider to people who are not directly involved in the

maritime industry. To illustrate, take for example the

medical personnel who examine seafarers and are

entrusted with the provision of accurate diagnoses,

the spouse/family that contributes to the state of mind

of the seafarer (positive/negative), the instructor who

trains for competence, the media that influences

potential applicants, (positive or negative) about the

industry, the policy makers or government officials

and representative of the citizenry who ratify and

implement conventions for safer and cleaner oceans.

Given this rather wide scope, it can be further argued

that the best place to ensure a wider awareness and

appreciation of the maritime industry is at the

secondary level.

With specific reference to seafarers, the need is

even greater. An important challenge facing the

shipping industry today is how to attract and retain a

sufficient number of adequately trained and qualified

seafarers and qualified maritime industry

professionals with the right motivation, knowledge

and skills for the professional application of evolving

technologies and procedures. This challenge will

increase as world trade continues to grow and

shipping activities increase accordingly [16]. In the

words of the immediate-past Secretary-General of the

IMO during the 2nd session of the Sub-Committee on

Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW):

Take a look 15 years ahead, 2030, what will the

volume of trade be in 2030? Obviously, nobody can

tell, but amongst the approximately half million

officers available today, probably 150,000 would have

left by 2030 due to retirement. Just to maintain the

current workforce of officers, 10,000 new officers must

be trained and provided every year to fill the gap

created by retiring officers. If seaborne trade expands

by 70% by 2030 then we need to train and produce

40,000 officers every year. If seaborne trade expands

just by 35% by 2030, we will still need to train and

produce 25,000 new officers every year. Maritime

training is absolutely fundamental for sustainable

shipping [17].

The optimum and sustainable supply of competent

people (the human element) – especially seafarers - is

a key challenge for the maritime industry and requires

long term strategic planning. Such a long-term

approach should necessarily consider the early

introduction of elements of maritime education and

training in national curricula and not leave that to an

abrupt introduction to this domain at the university or

college level.

An important point to note is the effort of IMO in

promoting the industry to the youth. One such

strategy was the ‘Go to Sea’ campaign inaugurated in

November 2008. Another of IMO strategy was the

commencement by the IMO of a Maritime

Ambassadors Programme which seeks to have a

selected group of people globally promoting the

industry to the youth. These efforts at the IMO level

indicate that recruiting for the industry is not

automatic and therefore requires meaningful effort

and policy in securing and sustaining a competent

qualified workforce and is an example for national

authorities.

MET at the secondary level by itself is not the

panacea to the many challenges the industry faces.

However, it will evoke a consciousness for urgent

protection, better governance and sustainable

stewardship of the oceans on which human existence

depends. Good governance “includes formal

institutions and regimes empowered to enforce

compliance, as well as informal arrangements, that

people and institutions either have agreed to or

perceive to be in their interest” [31]. Therefore, to

achieve a more optimal approach to maritime

governance, there is a necessity for the involvement of

the global village and not just policy makers or

legislators. Getting the human element (which in the

widest context, is everyone) involved in sustainable

maritime operations and governance (and doing so

early), will result in far greater successes than have

been achieved in the past. This paper argues that this

is achievable, in part by educating all potential and

future players, or just citizens in general, at the

secondary level with a curriculum that at the least,

introduces them to key issues, value of and

opportunities in the maritime and marine sectors. To

support this argument and to investigate views of the

appropriateness of this suggestion, an exploration

study was conducted. We now proceed to describe

this study.

9 EXPLORATORY STUDY

The main goal of the study was to seek answers to

questions related to the relevance of maritime

education and training at the secondary level of

education. The specific questions asked were:

1 What are the merits and demerits of MET at the

secondary level?

2 What are the national practices and underlying

policies that inform the delivery of maritime

education and training at the secondary level?

3 What are the current trends and challenges within

the maritime industry that may warrant maritime

education and training at the secondary level?

4 How can maritime education and training at the

secondary level translate to sustainable

development within the maritime industry?

5 What is the role of stakeholders in implementing

maritime education and training at the secondary

level?

The research method applied in this study was the

mixed method approach. Specific methods included a

survey (questionnaire-based) and interviews. “Mixed-

methods research helps in complementing one

method with another even where these methods are

derived from different methodological positions” [22].

The study included one hundred and two (102)

participants. The target group of participants were

those with at least some basic knowledge of the

maritime industry from all levels of education starting

from the secondary level and varied categories of

maritime workers. Ninety-eight (98) of these

participated completed the survey and six (6) were

purposively sampled and interviewed. Eight (8) of the

ninety-eight (98) participants took part in an initial

pilot test which resulted in ninety (N = 90) as the final

count for data analyses. The category of participants

that were interviewed were selected on the criteria of

years of service, leadership role and experience

working within the maritime industry. Three of the

six were professors of maritime colleges/universities,

one was a student at the World Maritime University

(WMU), another was a Dean at the University of

South California, and finally the sixth participant was

the Head of Training and Human Element in the Sub-

Division for Operational Safety and Human Element

at the IMO. Research participants, all of whom had

basic knowledge of the maritime industry, came from

thirty-four (34) countries. 60% were male while 40%

were female. The average age was 42.2 with

educational background ranging from secondary

school certificates to doctoral degrees (see figure 1

below).

Figure 1. Respondents' educational level

Atlas.ti (qualitative) and SPSS (chi-square –

quantitative) data analyses software, were employed

to analyse data.

10 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

Table 1. Respondent demographics

The quantitative data showed 76% of the

participants were employees of which 33% were

managers and 10% supervisors (figure 2). 73% were

aware of the industry while 81% have some affiliation

with the industry. 43% were interested in the industry

due to economic benefit, 36% for career interest while

33% wanted to travel to see the world. 34% stated that

MET was offered at the secondary level while 54%

had no MET at the secondary level in their jurisdiction

(figure 3). 78% had MET at a higher level and

indicated that having basic knowledge of maritime

concepts would have made easier understanding of

the maritime concepts at the higher level of learning.

Figure 2. Response by organizational position

Figure 3. Availability of Secondary School with MET in own

jurisdiction

Question 1: What are the merits and demerits of

maritime education and training at the secondary

level?

The perception that MET at the secondary level

had merit was related to geography, perception of

economic benefits, and the interest of the government.

Predictably, it was noted that programmes for

maritime awareness are normally conducted in areas

close to ports and MET institutions, therefore people

in those areas were more or less aware of the industry.

On the other hand, if there was no awareness of

economic benefit for the jurisdiction, then the

government shows no interest in formalising policy in

promulgating MET at the secondary level. As

indicated 43 of the 90 participants indicated that their

interest in the industry is due to the perceived

economic benefits that could accrue to them. The

findings imply that economics is the primary reason

for a consideration of educating the youth about the

maritime industry at this level. It can be argued that

this rationale is limited since the foundational

purpose of secondary education should be deemed to

be much more profound than just to have optimum

economic outcomes.

Question 2: What are the national practices and

underlying policies that inform the delivery of

maritime education and training at the secondary

level?

Respondents indicated that policy in their own

national jurisdiction was lacking for most part, both

for the sector in general and for implementing MET at

the secondary level in particular. A number of the

jurisdictions have only recently developed polices for

their maritime sectors. Moreover, the bureaucratic

processes associated with policy decision-making and

implementation involves various ministries and

government agencies, which require collaboration

between key players of the industry and government.

This collaboration was perceived as non-existent by

many respondents. Another major challenge was that

policy makers were not knowledgeable about the

industry as a result of which they were either

lethargic in their creation of relevant policies or did

not do so at all.

Question 3: What are the current trends and

challenges within the maritime industry that may

warrant maritime education and training at the

secondary level?

Respondents agree that the shipping industry has

been growing exponentially with increased shipping

activities and larger vessel. Among the trends

mentioned were the opening up of the polar region as

a new-found area where international efforts have

generated new legal instruments and training

practices. Another trend articulated by respondents

was the increasing attrition rates of seafarers

employed at sea. Some respondents viewed MET at

the secondary level as a sifting tool for helping recruit

a more committed workforce, who due to early

exposure to the maritime industry were

knowledgeable about the challenges associated with

this career choice. In consonance with the earlier

discussions in this paper, respondents noted that it

was necessary to increase efforts to attract younger

people to a maritime career to stem the perceived

increase in attrition rates.

Question 4: How can maritime education and

training at the secondary level translate to sustainable

development within the maritime industry?

For most part participants indicated that MET at

the secondary level may have sustaining effect on the

industry for the long term to influence maritime

career options. The end result of such action will

potentially demonstrate a sustained calibre of

competent maritime professionals. On the back of

that, inferential statistics (chi-square) found the

African and Caribbean regions with 27.7% compared

with the Asian region with 23% agreeing that MET at

the secondary level sustains the maritime industry.

However, the European region with 50% disagree that

MET at the secondary level is a sustainable strategy

for the maritime industry.

Question 5: What is the role of stakeholders in

implementing maritime education and training at the

secondary level?

Stakeholders’ role was noted to be the epicentre for

the implementation of MET at the secondary level;

they are the ones to drive curriculum reform.

Notwithstanding this, it was indicated that conflict of

interest among stakeholders may become a challenge

and if not delicately handled the process could take

longer than necessary. Additionally, getting

stakeholder buy-in for wholesale implementation of

maritime education at the secondary level could be

challenging, particularly if there were economic

implications. Nevertheless, participants felt that the

governments of their jurisdictions can do more to

popularize the industry and to collaborate with

relevant entities including in the education sector as

well as those who could influence the curriculum

development process to initiate steps towards

implementation.

11 IMPLICATIONS OF FINDINGS

The findings of the study have numerous implications

for different players in the industry, particular for

those (like the IMO) who are seeking to increase

awareness and introduce the industry as a viable

career option to the youth. There are implications for

other stakeholders, particularly in the education

sector and in shipping. Further, while the study

showed some evidence indicating the relevance of

MET at the secondary level, there are also a number of

barriers that need attention. Given the wider literature

and in light of the prior discussions in this paper, it

may be that the relatively low agreement that MET at

the secondary level is relevant is due, at least in part,

to the lack of awareness by the youth and

interestingly other stakeholders and policy makers.

The writers consider this a key finding, a finding that

suggests that awareness creation strategies - of the

importance of the maritime industry (and the possible

contribution of secondary education to it) – have to be

targeted at the highest levels of corporate entities and

also the public sector. Accordingly, the strategy by

IMO to target youth through the appointment of

Maritime Ambassadors in member states, should be

augmented by also targeting policy makers and

stakeholders to increase their awareness.

The findings further suggest that youth becoming

engaged in the industry is not automatic, as national

jurisdictions need national strategies for creating

awareness to attract youth to the industry.

Additionally, there are implications for educators.

For MET at the secondary level to become a reality

there must be qualified instructors to impart

knowledge. Therefore, there is a need to have

workshops and seminars to educate secondary level

teachers. In addition to targeting the youth (or

perhaps for some time, in lieu of that) secondary

teachers should be a target group for the IMO

Maritime Ambassadors.

There is also an implication for entities that write

and publish magazine and journals about the

maritime industry. The target audience needs to be re-

assessed. There is the need for literature aimed at

lower levels for the youth, for example, incorporating

cartoons, comics, videos, social media, advertisement

in the media. These literatures may be used to

augment existing teaching resources at the secondary

level of education.

Finally, the relationship between the level of

education and the category of the worker showed no

statistical significance in terms of maritime awareness.

Also, the level of education or rank of authority was

shown not to have a bearing on how much is known

of the industry. This could suggest that all levels and

categories of workers need an awareness of the wider

maritime industry, even for organizations

purportedly working in specific areas of the industry.

There is a need for governments to collaborate and

coordinate with the industry on how they can bring

awareness and implement MET at the secondary level

in an economical way. Additionally, educating the

public about the manifestations of the maritime

industry within the particular local context, as well as

identifying stakeholders and clarifying their roles in

that context, is necessary.

12 CONCLUSION

Respondents in the study suggested to a degree that

there is relevance for MET at the secondary level. Its

implementation is influenced by economic and

geographical factors as well as national interest. It was

found that one strategy to address the challenges of a

sustainable supply of seafarers in particular, and

human resource for the wider industry in general, is

to increase awareness and via that, the entrance of the

youth to the industry. However, there is need for

relevant national policy frameworks, political will and

collaboration of the relevant stakeholders to influence

secondary curriculum reform and development. MET

at the secondary level is a paradigm shift that is

befitting a global industry. It is important to educate

global citizens of a global industry for a sustained

supply of high-calibre professionals. The result of

such implementation may create solutions to help

mitigate current and future trends and challenges

experienced by the industry.

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