Our Way 1
PUTTING THEORY INTO PRACTICE TEXT ISABELLE KLIGER
PHOTO SAMUEL UNÉUS, LINNAEUS UNIVERSITY, CHALMERS UNIVERSITY Training THE NEXT GENERATION Lars Telestam, Wallenius Marine gives future ship’s officers the opportunity to complete a placement at sea on its vessels. Each year, two Swedish students studying to become ship’s captains or naval engineers do a year-long placement onboard one of the company’s Swedish-flagged vessels. S hipping is key to the Swedish economy. Every year, more than 130 million tonnes of goods and 28.5 million people travel to and from Swedish ports, while Swedish shipping employs some 100,000 people, at sea and on land. This makes shipping a larger employer than the entire Swedish automotive industry. Ensuring access to highly trained staff for this key sector is vital not only to the shipping industry, but to Sweden as a nation. Wallenius Marine is part of making this possible. WALLENIUS MARINE’S HEAD of Human Resources, Dennis Johansson, explains that a student placement programme was launched by the Swedish shipping industry in the 1990s. “The programme made it possible to study to become a ship’s officer without having worked at sea for an extended period beforehand. These days, it’s possible to take up a command position following three years of studies and a 10- to 12-month placement at sea,” he says. “The onboard training component 22 OUR WAY PARTNERSHIPS is of huge importance to our future ship’s officers. It offers them an insight into their future profession, and enables them to start creating a valuable network for the future,” says Anna Pettersson from the Swedish Maritime Training Institute. DENNIS JOHANSSON AND Anna Pettersson agree that the student placements play a crucial part in securing the skills and expertise the Swedish maritime industry needs for the future. “Without sufficient placements of this kind it would be hard to carry on operating the two naval academies in Kalmar and Gothenburg. This, in turn, would make it tricky for Swedish shipping companies like Wallenius Marine to employ competent staff for both sea- and land-based roles in the future,” says Dennis Anna Pettersson Swedish Maritime Training Institute Johansson. “We foresee a significant need for recruitment in the shipping industry in the next few years,” continues Anna Pettersson. “The student placements allow companies to showcase an attractive workplace, enabling them to create a link that could lead to future employment.” Director of Studies, Division of Maritime Studies, Chalmers University of Technology “An onboard placement is an invaluable opportunity to apply theoretical skills to real-life situations. Wallenius Marine is one of only a few Swedish shipping companies whose vessels belong to the worldwide trade network. We appreciate the opportunity for our students to gain experience of the tasks and routines involved in these kinds of global operations. At the end of the day, it’s impossible to learn everything in a school environment. For some things you need practical, hands-on experience.” Ted Bågfeldt, Head of Academy, Kalmar Maritime Academy, Linnaeus University “Completing a placement at sea is absolutely crucial for our students. If we did not have access to the trainee positions on Wallenius Marine’s ships, there would not be enough placement opportunities for our students. Having the opportunity to work onboard a Wallenius Marine vessel is very valuable, partly because of the exposure it offers to automotive logistics, where so many of our students will end up working, but also to experience a shipping company where the working environment and sustainable shipping are prioritized.”