According to the Young Maritime Board (YMB), where Marc Buijs is representing Young RMSC, it is all hands on deck when it comes to keeping Young Professionals in the maritime sector “on board’. That is why the YMB presented five recommendations to the Rotterdam Maritime Board on 22 March based on a survey filled in by more than 300 respondents.
Bron: IRO.nl
ALL HANDS ON DECK!
Attracting, retaining and developing talent is one of the biggest challenges facing the regional Rotterdam maritime sector. One of the questions is how the business community can ensure that the Young Professionals in the maritime sector are retained. To answer this question, the YMB, in collaboration with Erasmus UPT, conducted a study into the needs and motives of Young Professionals. “There is a lot of talk about us, but not much with us,” the Young Maritime Board members said.
322 Young Professionals completed the questionnaire. The research results provided a sharp insight into the motives and needs of Young Professionals. A clear picture has also been obtained of what image they have of industry and what factors are for wanting to continue or leave their career in this sector.
Based on the outcome, it was concluded that the connection with the sector is unprecedented. The average chance that someone will still work for the same organization in five years’ time is 58% and the chance that someone will still work in the maritime sector is 73%. Nevertheless, 51% of the Young Professionals are considering working in another sector, mentioning reasons like: limited development opportunities, the lack of an ambitious vision for the future of innovation and sustainability and the conservative nature of the sector.
RECOMMENDATIONS
With this data as a starting point, five recommendations have been formulated to keep Young Professionals on board:
Invest in development opportunities;
Promote a new culture in which diversity and inclusion are paramount and conservatism no longer plays a role;
Create a concrete ambitious vision which include innovations and be open and realistic about the challenges this entails;
Emphasize the international character, the shared passion for ships and a strong community sense in communication and finally;
Challenge young workers from the maritime sector, for example through youth organisations.
DOWNLOAD THE REPORT
CALL TO THE ROTTERDAM MARITIME BOARD
During the last meeting of the Rotterdam Maritime Board, the regional advisory body of the maritime sector, the advice was handed over to the Chairman of the Rotterdam Maritime Board, Peter Goedvolk (CEO, First Dutch).
During the discussion, it was agreed that Young Professionals are essential for the maritime sector and investments in talent are necessary for growth in the sector. There was also discussion about what steps can be taken by companies, both individually and collectively.
Peter Goedvolk: ‘For a future-proof maritime sector, it is essential to attract young people. Competition with other sectors is fierce. Talent is scarce, especially in today’s tense labor market. Human Capital has the attention of the Rotterdam Maritime Board. I am pleased with the Young Maritime Board advice and in particular that Young Professionals are joining forces and are committed to strengthening the Rotterdam maritime cluster. According to the Rotterdam Maritime Board, this advice enriches many existing initiatives within the sector.’
The Young Maritime Board members hope to continue discussions with the companies about how to give concrete shape to these recommendations. One of these concrete steps is the third TrendSession Networking which RMSC will organise together with Deltalinqs and member KPMG – focusing completely on Young proffesionals and give them the opportunity to build their own network.
ABOUT THE YOUNG MARITIME BOARD
The Young Maritime Board is an independent advisory body of the Municipality of Rotterdam. The board consists of the board members of various networking initiatives for young maritime professionals in the Rotterdam region. From the perspective of young professionals, the board identifies and advises on opportunities and threats for the sector. In addition, the board focuses on connecting and strengthening network initiatives.
