Unit 8: Conceptual Models for Continuous Improvement

4. 8.4 Education: Challenges and Solutions

The effectiveness of the ISM Code finally hinges on the availability of adequate training and readiness on the part of maritime workforce personnel which is dealt incidentally by the STCW Convention. However, current training and education procedures are faced with several challenges. Majority of training programs place greater focus on theoretical orientation and standardized examination formats, making effective weaknesses in the areas of practical skill and aptitudes to counter different challenges. For example, students/cadets generally need to score 40% to 60% in order to pass a maritime education course, and no actual tests are even carried out in some courses, hence rendering vast regions of ability unexamined. Such tests are conducted on discrete areas of learning and, in some cases, discrete skills, rather than assessing whether a crew member can successfully execute his or her duty under simulated practice, across the entire spectrum of the skill base required. 

Conventional shipboard training, required as part of the ISM Code (Element 6), in all its great worth, possesses inherent limitations, for instance, how a new crew member is trained to be familiar with the ship layout and equipment. How this is done is often found to be informal and not fully documented in the majority of the cases observed as part of this project. The implementation of simulator-based training within maritime education can significantly enhance crew readiness [5]. Such programs allow one to gain needed skills while simultaneously developing important decision-making skills in a controlled environment.