Officer cadet award 2011
Karley Smith, Third Officer with Sealion Shipping and 2011 Officer Trainee of the Year, discusses her training experiences.
The British merchant fleet is known the world over for maintaining the highest standards in shipping and is managed by the United Kingdom Ship Register, which is operated within the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The training of young officers is very important and Karley Smith, currently a Third Officer with Sealion Shipping, is this year바카라 사이트™s winner of the Officer Trainee of the Year award.
Date filmed: January 2011
Transcript
Narrator: Karley Smith,Third Officer with Sealion Shipping, is this year바카라 사이트™s winner of the Officer Trainee of the Year award. The British merchant fleet is known the world over for maintaining the highest standards in shipping, and is managed by the United Kingdom Ship Register which is operated within the , and, as MCA Chief Executive Sir Alan Massey explains, the training of young officers is very important.
Sir Alan Massey: We바카라 사이트™ve been running this competition for a few years now and we do it because although we바카라 사이트™re a safety agency we also run the British flag, so any British-flagged vessel comes under our auspices, and we바카라 사이트™re very interested in having a vibrant shipping industry that바카라 사이트™s populated with bright young people who come through, and provide the sort of career structure that exists, that makes British officers, you know, amongst the best in the world. And so we바카라 사이트™re desperately proud of people like Karley because they do represent so much that바카라 사이트™s good about British youth and so much that바카라 사이트™s good about our shipping industry.
Narrator: Karley studied at Blackpool and the Fylde College, sponsored by James Fisher and Sons plc, and trained with Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited. So what inspired her to pursue a career in the Merchant Navy?
Karley Smith: I wanted something that was varied, and I also wanted to study a degree course, and the year I applied they바카라 사이트™d started running a foundation degree in nautical science, and it was all a brand new course, and I decided to give it a shot, see what it was going to offer, because there바카라 사이트™s no student debt attached to a qualification in the Merchant Navy when you do a cadetship, as a training company sponsors you through and pays for your training, your accommodation and also gives you a wage.
Narrator: Cadetships are a combination of academic study and practical work experience.
Karley Smith: It바카라 사이트™s split into phases so you do some phases at college and some phases at sea. You basically you learn some subjects and then put it into practice on a ship, come back to the college, learn more subjects, put that into practice on a ship, and then come back to the college in the end, do your exams, and then qualify as an officer, providing all goes well. I would recommend it because, as I said, it바카라 사이트™s so different. There바카라 사이트™s a lot of careers available - you don바카라 사이트™t necessarily have to stay at sea, there바카라 사이트™s a lot of shore positions available as soon as you have seagoing experience - and I think it바카라 사이트™s a good career to be in.
Sir Alan Massey: So there바카라 사이트™s banking, insurance, finance, ship-broking, all of those sort of supporting industries. London remains the centre of international shipping and long may it continue, and we do need people with the skills of Karley.
Narrator: Minister for Shipping Mike Penning is keen to emphasise the importance of a strong and growing merchant shipping fleet.
Mike Penning, Minister for Shipping: I think it바카라 사이트™s hugely important: 96% of all imports come into this country and our exports that go out, come in by sea, so we are a world leader in shipping and we need to continue to do so, and this government will support them in that. And the reputation and the skills of our fleet, 1,600 ships plus now, and that바카라 사이트™s something we need to not only protect but grow, because if we바카라 사이트™re going to get out of this economic situation that we바카라 사이트™re in, then we need growth. We바카라 사이트™re continuing to support the training of young cadets coming through into the Merchant Navy, that바카라 사이트™s very, very important. Everybody needs their skills and their professionalism and their dedication recognised, and Karley won the award nationally, so that바카라 사이트™s why I brought her here to the Department of Transport, to the Shipping Minister바카라 사이트™s office. I mean, the Red Ensign is renowned around the world, you know. I바카라 사이트™m not only responsible for the Red Ensign but also the British protectorate flag fleets. They are world renowned as great officers and good ships and that바카라 사이트™s something that I intend to continue.
Karley Smith: On most ships I바카라 사이트™ve been on I바카라 사이트™ve been the only female. It doesn바카라 사이트™t put me off in any way but I would like to see more females coming to sea, there바카라 사이트™s no reason why they shouldn바카라 사이트™t and there바카라 사이트™s no reason why they shouldn바카라 사이트™t want to do a career like this. They바카라 사이트™re certainly capable, so why not?