Sailors’ Society has launched its 2023 Maritime Schools’ Conferences with record numbers of cadets and new insight into the minds of Generation Z seafarers.
More than 2,000 students registered for the global maritime charity’s North Asia Conference, with the overwhelming majority saying the conference had given them a greater understanding of mental health and how to look after their own wellness.
Gen Z maritime students
The conference also gave an insight into the hopes and fears of these Gen Z maritime students. Almost all the cadets polled saw seafaring as a long-term career, but one third said they would leave the industry if they were not treated well by their employers.
As with previous years, the main reason North Asian cadets were studying to become seafarers was to care of their families. And their biggest fear was not getting a job when they had completed their studies.
Top industry experts
The overwhelming majority of these young people will step on board a ship for the first time on graduation"
But this year, the survey revealed that 86 per cent of the cadets had yet to have their first experience of seafaring.
Sailors’ Society CEO, Sara Baade, said: “The overwhelming majority of these young people will step on board a ship for the first time on graduation, so it is vital we prepare them for this. These conferences help to equip cadets for their future careers, with top industry experts from across the globe giving them an insight into the realities of life at sea and Sailors’ Society giving them the tools they need to look after their own mental and physical health.”
Mental and physical health
“But these events also give a voice to these young people, allowing them to speak to the industry they are about to join. And we are hearing they are concerned about diversity and about how they will be treated by their employers.”
Sailors’ Society is holding three more of these virtual Maritime Schools’ Conferences this year, including its first for UK cadets:
- South East Asia on September 23, sponsored by the TK Foundation and Inmarsat
- Africa on October 1, sponsored by the TK Foundation
- UK on November 9, sponsored by Trinity House and Inmarsat
The North Asia conference was sponsored by North Standard P&I and Seaspan.
