Maritime Education and Training (MET) - quo vadis? *
Günther
Zade
Vice-Rector/Academic Dean
World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden
Abstract
The paper briefly describes the wider and the closer environment of MET
and what influence they have on MET. The impact on MET from the increased use of modern
technology in both environments is also reviewed. Changes in the environments of MET have
resulted in MET variations and issues. For successfully coping with the issues, MET needs
to leave its passive and subordinate role and become an active player in the three-party
"game" with shipping companies and maritime administrations or, in a number of
countries, in the six-party "game" with the additional "players" trade
unions, education authorities and seafarers/MET students.
Keywords : MET, MET environment, MET development, MET policy.
Introduction
MET - quo vadis? Where do you go, where are you going, and in nautical
parlance, where are you heading? This is a question that can either be answered in the
singular or the plural. The singular answer is: MET is heading towards meeting the
requirements of the revised STCW Convention, the STCW 95. The plural answer is that MET is
a multifaceted, widely varied activity but it is not so diverse that common objectives,
common elements, common methods and common trends of development beyond STCW 95 cannot be
identified, provided such identification remains rather general and is not too specific.
It is the purpose of this paper to attempt to give the plural answer to
"MET- quo vadis?" by identifying commonalities as well as differences in MET and
explaining why the differences exist and what impact they have or may have on regional or
national MET. Only after such state of the art will have been outlined and the environment
in which MET exists briefly described can the question "MET - quo vadis?" be
answered beyond the singular answer that it is heading towards STCW 95. Some degree of
simplification will have to be tolerated because of the necessary general treatment of the
subject and the categorization or classification which such treatment requires.
The question could be asked: is a plural answer to "MET - quo
vadis?" necessary? Should we not accept the many ways are leading to Rome assumption
that the heading of different MET towards the common goal STCW 95 implies? However, the
state of the art in MET is not so simple that the diversity of regional and national MET
can be neglected.
* The opinions expressed in this paper are solely those of the author
and should not be construed as representing a position of World Maritime University.
