Last November, National Maritime hosted the Big Skills Debate at the University of Greenwich. The overwhelming consensus from the panel and attendees was that, although it was known that training was beneficial in assisting a company’s goals and increasing employee retention, many employers within the maritime industry were still unwilling to invest in training.
Lloyd’s Maritime Academy, the world’s largest provider of professional development courses and academic qualifications for the maritime industry, have reported an increase in students self-funding their professional development as training budgets are slashed across the board.
When there’s a downturn in the industry, training is usually seen as an extraneous expense that can be cut. However, professional development shouldn’t have to be put on hold indefinitely – the shipping industry is by its nature volatile, and employees who have benefitted from training will be the key differentiator between market success or failure.
Many employers are uncomfortable with allowing extended study leave, or having their employees miss work to attend weekly seminars or lectures. An easy way to navigate this is online part time courses, which fit around professional commitments, and will allows immediate application while studying.
For those wishing to develop their skills in the insurance industry, Lloyd’s Maritime Academy has two specialist Certificate courses which take on average 30 hours over a 12 week period to complete – that’s only 2-3 hours of study per week. The Certificate in Marine Insurance gives a holistic overview to the industry and is ideal for new entrants or for brokers, agents, underwriters and claims handlers looking to understand the context of insurance. There is also the Certificate in Marine Claims, which covers the legal, technical and managerial aspects of claims and disputes.
For more experienced insurance professionals, World Maritime University’s Postgraduate Diploma in Marine Insurance is also taught entirely by distance learning and can be taken from anywhere in the world. On completion, students will have a postgraduate qualification from a leading maritime university.
For more information on online courses, contact Lloyd’s Maritime Academy on [email protected] or call Alice on +44 20 7017 4483.