In this report we present recommendations for education and training for maritime professionals destined for employment in the shipping industry. We have further followed recommendations for implementation:
1. We recommend a European certificate of Higher Standard as a supplement to the minimum training according to IMO STCW
2. We recommend an upskill course package for maritime professionals. We suggest course modules fulfil the industry’s needs, such as digital, language, and social literacy, as well as ship finance, law, insurance, and management competence as described in D1.1.2 Current skills need and summarised in the document D1.2.1 Skills and competence gap. The sum of IMO STCW and course packages should correspond to a BSc degree and include in the Bologna qualification framework. The IMO STCW training is implemented differently among the member states in Europe and the recommended course packages may have different content and volume.
3. Skills to realise the maritime industries innovation potential. The future maritime activity will integrate people and digital technology in a way that transform how we operate and interact. A new operation paradigm needs to be created to meet these challenges. The key future skill gaps are green shipping skills, digital skills, and operation in highly digital systems. We suggest that, if Europe aims to play a leading role in the future shipping industry, the human factor will still be a key, but it is a need for a body that can act fast and bring training at the level of the technology development.
Resource available: Recommendations