Careers at Sea
Background:
With 95% of UK trade coming by sea, the Merchant Navy is valuable to the UK, but very few people know of its existence let alone the opportunities available to them within it. The Careers at Sea Ambassador programme is made up of over 350 volunteers and aims to reduce the lack of awareness of this vital industry to the young people of the UK, whilst promoting the exciting career opportunities ranging from catering and hospitality roles, to perhaps being the captain of a vessel. Ambassadors are current and former serving seafarers who highlight their own careers in order to engage with young people and to increase diversity and gender equality within the Merchant Navy, as only 7% of UK seafarers are female. Maritime apprenticeships are currently being developed to counteract the ageing workforce and the Ambassadors are able to promote these roles, as well the need for more engineers and electro-technicians in the maritime sector.
The programme has been running for nearly ten years and works closely with industry partners including the Marine Society, Nautilus International and the UK Chamber of Shipping. Coordinated and managed by the Merchant Navy Training Board, the Ambassador programme has doubled in size in the last 3 years and has seen a phenomenal rise in the number of visits requested by schools.The level of engagement from the Ambassadors has increased and the programme received a 'Special Award' for 'Effective Voice of the Year' at a national award ceremony at the end of 2017, as well as being shortlisted for two international awards last year.
The Careers at Sea Ambassador programme has a limited budget to promote careers in the Merchant Navy and the brand heavily relies on the work and initiative of the Ambassadors to find new schools to speak to and different ways to engage with people. Ambassadors contact their local schools, youth groups and Sea Cadet units in order to educate young people about potential career options in the maritime sector. This has seen a rise in visit requests as detailed below:
2015 - 61 visit requests were made if which 38% were attended; 2016- 170 visits were requested of which 64% were attended by Ambassadors and in 2017 there were 271 visits requested and 64% of them were attended. In 2018 there are already 53 visits requested and we expect this number to grow. If an Ambassador is unable to attend due to being at sea, both the programme coordinator and the Ambassador work with the school to reschedule and commit to speaking to their young people.
The Careers at Sea Ambassador programme has launched new leaflets and receives helpful feedback from the volunteers to improve the programme. A Facebook page communicates with Schools and career advisers as well as a Pinterest page to encourage schools to bring the sea into the classroom. Recruitment posters are passed onto colleagues of Ambassadors to encourage them to sign up to the programme and many seafarers discuss the programme on social media platforms such as LinkedIn.
Emails are our main source of communication with the Ambassadors and they allow us to update everyone on the feedback we receive, the plans for the future of the programme and the visit requests.
A colour coded outlook calendar system is used to keep track of all visits and maps are drawn up to locate areas that need more visits and more Ambassadors. There is a private Facebook group where Ambassadors offer support, share experiences and ‘buddy-up’ with another Ambassador for certain events. This, as well as social media, encourages the Ambassadors to talk to each other and to share what is going on so that we can accurately record the level of activity taking place.
In 2018, the Careers at Sea Ambassador programme will actively participate in National Careers Week, Young Engineers Week, Year of Engineering 2018, Seafarers Awareness Week and will seek to promote the programme in as many ways as possible. Ambassadors regularly speak to their local papers and have articles written about them, are featured in the Nautilus Telegraph and have even been on radio to promote the programme and Careers at Sea.
In 2017, a social media video was produced to assist the work of Careers at Sea, in conjunction with the UK Chamber of Shipping and ITN Productions and funded by the MEF, and has been a huge success since its launch. The video ' To Sea or Not to Sea' was viewed nearly 40,000 times in the first month after its launch and has won a national award for 'Best Association Video'. The video includes three Careers at Sea Ambassadors and brings a realistic portrayal of the industry to a new audience. The Ambassadors will be asked to use this film at school visits and help to implement the strategic plan currently being developed.
The Ambassadors use their time on leave to promote the industry they love and are in constant contact with the coordinator, helping to shape and influence future visits and recruitment of young people into the Merchant Navy. They represent the programme at the UK Chamber of Shipping Annual Dinner, seminars, events etc. and are a credit to the industry.
Winning would mean:
As a national campaign, this award would highlight to the current volunteers that they are recognised by the industry for their hard work and may encourage more seafarers to join the programme. This would allow Ambassadors to visit more schools and increase the number of young people we are able to speak to, assisting in safeguarding new recruits for the future and the good of the industry. This award would give more profile to the programme within the industry, promote the work it is achieving and increase the momentum of those involved. For the 350+ Ambassadors I believe it would provide an acknowledgement of thanks that they do not receive for assisting the industry in the way they do.