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On a bi-monthly basis, we will be providing you with news updates, as well as tips and guidance on our Coming Ashore programme.
We would love to hear any comments or feedback you may have about the programme or these newsletters. Please contact us at comingashore@ms-sc.org. |
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MENTORS, MENTEES AND EMPLOYERS ATTEND COMING ASHORE EVENT
On the 21st of July the Marine Society hosted their first Coming Ashore event at their new National Support Centre in London, where a plethora of mentees, mentors and stakeholders came together to celebrate the initiative and give employers the opportunity to understand the full extent of the programme.
The event was opened with an introductory speech from MSSC Chair, Jeremy Penn, who set the scene and gave a brief history of how the programme was established. Darrell Bate, Director of Maritime Training and Development, lead the Q&A discussion with panel members which included; Carla Rockson –Programme Lead, Steve Cameron - Coming Ashore mentor, Andy Hill – Coming Ashore mentor, Belu Chetna - Coming Ashore mentee and Joe Mattock - Coming Ashore mentee.
Light refreshments followed and guests were able to find out more details about the programme, network, and mentees had the opportunity to share their experiences of the programme so far.
Fellow mentors Carole Davies and Philip Gregson were also in attendance to support the event.
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NEW SUITE OF EDUCATION COURSES TO BE RELEASED
Marine Society are once again teaming up with Coracle Online to bring you a new education suite of maritime courses titled Learn@Shore.
Thirteen courses have been created to offer seafarers and more specifically our Coming Ashore participants, an informative and practical introduction to the business of maritime ashore:
Commercial Shipping Ashore
Dry Cargo Chartering
Dry Cargoes of Importance
Economics of Shipping
Introduction of Shipping
Liner Trades
Logistics and Multi Modal Transport
Marine Insurance
Port Agency
Port and Terminal Management
Ship Operations and Management
These will be available very soon so please keep an eye out on our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) and our website.
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We are delighted to welcome two new mentors, Carole Davies and Will Fuller, to our growing pool of mentors who broaden the wealth of experience and knowledge that we can share with our mentees. Please find out more about them here:
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WILL FULLER
Will joined the maritime industry in September 2014 when he was hired by Carnival UK as a Deck Cadet. Following his Cadetship, undertaken at Fleetwood Nautical Campus, he qualified as an OOW and spent the next 18 months working in the P&O Cruises fleet as a Third Officer. Will decided at this point that working at sea was not where he saw his career moving forward and transitioned to a shore-side role. Initially, Will remained within Carnival UK, working as a Specialist in Emergency Response and later as a Consultant in Service Coordination, providing operational support to the business. In February 2021, Will made the move to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency to become a Compliance & Policy Coordinator. Since then he has changed roles to utilise more of his seafaring background as a Seafarer Standards Adviser and is currently involved in the Cadet Training & Modernisation Programme - looking at ways to improve the training and employability of UK seafarers.
CAROLE DAVIES
Carole is an experienced Senior Project / Programme Manager with a distinguished career in the maritime industry, higher education and the health service, and a deep commitment to delivering strategic educational improvements based on structured models of reflective practice.
In 2018 she was headhunted to steer a major transformational change programme as Head of Academic Development at Warsash Maritime School at Solent University. The impacts and benefits of Carole’s work at Warsash were felt across the sector and led to an 18-month secondment to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in 2021 to develop a modernised training strategy for the whole of the maritime industry
She is proudest of her ability to inspire productive working relationships; being a confident, articulate leader who injects enthusiasm and energy to motivate teams, drive innovation, harmonise diverse interests and streamline the impact of change. Carole enjoys mentoring people who have entered the maritime industry from different backgrounds and who may feel uncertain about their next steps. Her goal is to see people thrive and gain satisfaction in their career.
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Working at sea can be tough. The hours are long, the contact with the outside world is minimal and work can be physically demanding.
The Coming Ashore programme has allowed seafarers who are feeling disillusioned at sea, the opportunity to make the transition to a maritime role on land.
Since the start of the financial year, the Coming Ashore programme has seen no less than 15 of its mentees finish with a shore side role in the maritime sector.
Here we have put a spotlight on Richard Parker-Norman, one of our mentees who has completed the journey successfully:
- When did you begin your career in Maritime? A brief introduction…
I started my seafaring career at the age of 17 after applying for college on a whim and two weeks later being accepted. From there I spent the next 15 years at sea, I went into the deck department and started in a container ship as part of the Maersk Cadet Programme.
I then decided to go coastal and work two weeks on two weeks off on dredgers, after 10 years doing this I finally decided to come ashore.
- What were the reasons for your decision to Come Ashore? Any struggles?
It was a difficult time, the pandemic hit us all when we weren’t expecting it and things came to a head when I quit my job in March 2021 with no plan ahead of me.
I felt the extreme pressure of working at sea as well as the exploitation of ship-owners and this got progressively worse until I finally left.
- How did you hear about the programme?
Through a mutual acquaintance, Paul Shepherd, who is a mentor on the programme.
- Other than the CA programme had you seen any other support networks for seafarers looking to make a shore side transition?
Nothing, frankly. It was a real challenge Coming Ashore because no one really knows what the Merchant Navy is, if you have for instance Chief Mate on your CV, not many would know what it is.
The skills are not seen as transferable as they are just seen as seafaring skills. I ended up just trying to get work, not in the maritime industry, with a plethora of managerial positions being rejected due to lack of skills as well as other roles such as a delivery driver.
It got to the stage where I started to question my own ability.
- Could you please explain your process for getting onto the programme?
So, Paul Shepherd gave me the link and from there I applied and got my initial introductory phone call with Bindu from the Marine Society.
That conversation in itself was very uplifting as she helped reassure me by recognising my qualifications and confirming that they do have value and that companies would in fact want me.
This was vital after being rejected left, right and centre for six months.
Bindu then assigned me to my mentor, Fena, who I had a couple of phone calls with and at the same time a couple of other opportunities had reared their head in the background.
I did some freelance maritime work on the side at my local marina, until Idwal Marine – who I had registered with previously – were doing inspections and asked me to be a part of one in December. Thankfully following that they offered me a job.
- What resources benefitted you the most for getting a job shore side?
I will be honest I didn’t really use many of the resources available to me during my time on the programme.
My relationship with my mentor proved vitally important though and I would say I definitely see the value in having CV guidance on the resource list as I actually copied a template from a friend who actually had private CV guidance himself. So without that slice of luck before joining, I definitely would have used it.
- How is the job going? Are you happy you made the transition?
Yes I am because I feel like one of things I needed was direction and I have that in this role, I do enjoy my job but I think I need to be honest and say I don’t like the fact that it’s not operational. I sit at my desk all the time and the role does not provide me with any practical elements of which I would like.
I occasionally inspect a ship but that is it, I have to accept that though as that is part of moving to a shore side role. You don’t get to travel but you are home every night.
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BOOKS ON SHORE SIDE CAREERS
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Tanker Chartering
£110.00
Tanker markets are driven by a number of economic factors, which along with technical, operational and regulatory aspects pose specific challenges to shipowners. This book is aimed at trainee brokers and all those with an interest in the market, where a qualified and experienced broker can have a major influence on a company’s fortunes.
Offshore Support Industry
£110.00
This authoritative book is both a great introduction to the operational side of the offshore support industry and a valuable reference work for commercial practitioners. It is a great reference for those who want an overview of the technical and commercial issues involved in the chartering, ownership and management of offshore vessels.
Shipping Finance
£110.00
Finance is at the heart of global industries and shipping is no exception. This book takes the guesswork out of financial planning, delivering professionally reviewed guidance on markets, cycles, sources, options and security, from both sides of the financing fence.
Property Insurance Claims - Law and Practice
£150.00
This is a detailed guide to property insurance claims for students, insurance professionals and lawyers. In particular, it will support members of CILA in passing the Institute exams en route to becoming a Chartered or Certified Loss Adjuster.
The Law of the Sea, 4th Edition
£60.00
The book provides a rigorous analysis of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the many other legal instruments that regulate human activities at sea, as well as taking full account of the numerous decisions of international courts and tribunals in recent years.
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MARINE SOCIETY BOOKSHOP
At the Marine Society, we pride ourselves on having a library that offers an eclectic mix of books covering all aspects of the maritime industry.
There are many library categories that fit selected shore side job roles and could help you in your independent research , in addition to being given guidance by your mentor.
See below three popular books amongst customers either already in a shore side role or interested in obtaining one.
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COMING ASHORE LINKED IN GROUP
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Everyone that signs up to the Coming Ashore programme becomes a part of a community who are all searching for the same thing – that perfect role ashore.
Join our LinkedIn Coming Ashore Group and use this as a forum to post any questions , information or general comments with like-minded individuals. This is a private group where we follow ‘Chatham House’ rules of confidentiality.
Our mentors are encouraged to share any relevant information, job vacancies, resources that would benefit the Coming Ashore mentees, so be sure to look out for any posts.
We hope that you to use this as a space to voice your queries and enlighten us on your individual journeys.
Alternatively, if you would prefer to contact a member of the Marine Society team about any aspect of the programme then please send your message to:
Programme Lead: Carla Rockson (crockson@ms-sc.org)
Programme Officer: Bindu Sharma (bsharma@ms-sc.org)
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FINDING A JOB ASHORE
If you need any help in your search for a shore side role, please go to our jobs ashore page where you will find a plethora of recruitment agency links that specialise in maritime shore side roles.
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