Recently, Maritime Association of Shipowners Shipmanagers & Agents (MASSA) have identified that cadets joining vessel for the first time are low on emotional management skills and generally their resilience level is low while inducting themselves into career at sea. Most MASSA member companies have their own induction programme on non-technical skills encompassing handling change and related stress, and emotional management for a smooth inductance.

Keeping this in mind, and to promote employment of Indian trainees and their ultimate wellbeing, MASSA in collaboration with IMU plans to offer a complimentary 2 days highly intensive programme titled Soft Skills for induction into merchant marine to about 150 final year cadets. All costs towards this collaboration will be borne by MASSA.

IMU has welcomed MASSA’s initiative and has readily agreed to this collaboration.

MASSA Maritime Academy, Chennai has recently completed the Soft Skills training programme for the 67 cadets of Final Year BSc Nautical Science batch of IMU Chennai campus and 79 cadets of Final Year B Tech Marine Engineering batch of IMU Mumbai Port campus.

“This comprehensive two days course was designed to master soft skills that critically impact and transform behavioural competence and attitudinal approach for a smooth inductance to highly operational merchant marine environment; particularly now when their Residential and regimented on-campus training is much affected and replaced with on-line education,” said Capt Shiv Halbe, CEO, MASSA.

The programme aims to equip new entrants to the maritime industry with skills through interactive and participative sessions to appreciate the underlying dynamics influencing interpersonal interactions and emotions at work, and be then able to apply themselves effectively for individual and team performance for a safe and efficient ship operation.

Qualified and experienced psychologists who met the Course Objectives conducted the programme. The objectives were:

1. Preparing cadets for shore to ship transition
2. Bring about self-awareness, understanding personality and emotional management
3. Handling stress and conflicts and dealing with change
4. Enhancing communication skills
5. Ability to work in a team
6. Enhancing decision making skills
7. Understanding generational issues
8. To bring about Intercultural competence

We received overwhelming feedback from the cadets that is highly encouraging, as well as, lauded by the IMU. We plan to repeat this programme for the next set of 150 cadets in the next financial year 2022-23 under the MASSA – IMU Collaboration,” concluded Capt Halbe.

IMU is headed by Dr (Mrs) Malini Shankar, IAS, Vice Chancellor; and MASSA is headed by Chairman, Capt MP Bhasin, and CEO, Capt Shiv Halbe.