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MARITIME TECHNICIANS
THERE IS DEFINITELY NO LACK OF ENTHUSIASM ON THE PART OF ROB VERKERK AND ARJEN UYTENDAAL, RESPECTIVELY CHAIRMAN AND DIRECTOR OF MARITIME BY HOLLAND (NEDERLAND MARITIEM LAND). THE INSIGHT THEY HAVE INTO THE CHALLENGINGLY VERSATILE, SPECIAL, ADVENTUROUS, INNOVATIVE AND ABOVE ALL FUN CHARACTER OF THE MANY PROFESSIONS WITHIN THE MARITIME SECTOR IS UNRIVALLED. HOWEVER, IT IS STILL PROVING DIFFICULT TO ENTHUSE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR A CAREER IN THE MARITIME SECTOR, ESPECIALLY REGARDING TECHNICAL PROFESSIONS. A NEW JOINT CAM- PAIGN TARGETING THE LABOUR MARKET IS TO CHANGE THIS.
Rob Verkerk: “The Netherlands is not the only country that struggles to find young maritime technicians. For a country that has always been so strongly defined by the maritime sector and where many economic activities are directly linked to our sector, it is disheartening though. Of course, demographics show that the percentage of young
people is decreasing. In addition, there are more technical sectors in the Netherlands, such as construction and the automotive sector, that are struggling with a declining influx as well and are essentially fishing in the same pond as we are. And ICT specialists are also needed in healthcare and logistics, for example. What makes things even more complicated for our sector is that we are not merely looking for run-of- the-mill employees, but for well-trained professionals, from engineers to craftsmen. We therefore focus specifically on young people who already have a strong affiliation with technology.”
WAR FOR TALENT
“In this war for talent, visibility - or rather a lack thereof - is negatively affecting our sector,” adds Arjen Uytendaal. “Many technological activities in the maritime sector are not immediately visible or take place in other countries. Quite a few young people are not aware of the many possibilities afforded by the maritime sector. This makes it less likely that they will eventually opt for a job on board of a ship, in the port, on a shipyard or at a maritime supplier. We want to address
this problem right now, while the economy is still booming, by means of a multi-year strategy. New in that respect is the fact that we are working together as the maritime sector rather than as individual com- panies. This is based on the principle: unity makes strength.”
MARITIME BY...
In the new joint approach to the labour market, the maritime sector explicitly focuses on the target group of secondary education students who have already opted for a technical profile. A recognisable
style and slogan - Maritime by ... - have been devised and a wide selection of promotional materials for online and offline use has been developed. Within that template, companies affiliated with Maritime by Holland are easily able to personalise the message with their own images, logo, etc. via an online editor. Useful for large organisations, but also for small and medium-sized companies. The aim is to
present young people who are interested in technology with a career perspective that is not necessarily limited to one company, but rather to the entire sector as a whole.
Verkerk: “Once students become interested in the sector, they automatically become enthusiastic. Our message in that respect is: you do not have to spend your entire working life at sea or with one company; the sector offers plenty of opportunities to switch careers. Loodswezen is a classic example of this: they have a long history of recruiting among seamen who want to continue sailing, but no longer want to be far away from home.”
SOCIAL IDEALS
“In the Netherlands, there are more than 125 training programmes at all levels that prepare or train people for a technological profession in the maritime sector,” states Uytendaal. “We also want to emphasise that our sector offers young people the opportunity to express their social ideals, for example regarding sustainability. Anyone who has a proposal to make processes cleaner can definitely count on support at every company in the maritime sector.”
THE HUNT FOR
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