New step in cooperation Dutch and French maritime education
To better equip maritime professionals in Europe for the challenging demands of today, the Scheepvaart en Transport College (STC) and École Nationale Supérieure Maritime (ENSM) will intensify their collaboration. Both educational institutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on April 12th in Amsterdam to formalize their cooperation. This collaboration is one of the outcomes of the European project SkillSea, in which both institutions are part of, along with 23 other EU partners from the sector.
The main contemporary themes are energy transition, digitalisation of ships, and further development of skills such as collaboration and leadership. The French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Sylvie Retailleau, and the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science, Robbert Dijkgraaf, witnessed the signing. The MoU signing was part of French President Macron’s state visit.
Robbert Dijkgraaf: “It is crucial that Europe works together to connect the education of maritime professionals to the societal challenges of our time. Topics such as digitalisation and the energy transition deserve a firm grounding in educational cooperation. Broad European knowledge sharing and exchange is something I greatly welcome. It strengthens the position of our maritime professionals in a sector that is very important for our country.”
Europe, a traditional source of maritime expertise, created the SkillSea project to ensure that European maritime professionals have the necessary skills for the rapidly changing labour market. As the end of the SkillSea project approaches, all education partners are focusing on establishing a European network for maritime education and training to work better together. To promote the exchange of knowledge and expertise, ENSM and STC will prepare the exchange of students and professors between France and the Netherlands under the Erasmus+ programme.
In addition to the creation of a European network of maritime education and training institutions, SkillSea will deliver several surveys describing current and future competency needs, as well as a large number of educational packages (covering digital, ‘green’ and leadership skills, among others), including a toolbox (containing the curriculum; the course description; and the evaluation of the educational package) that will enable the development and exchange of new educational packages.
The project is also working on a new collaboration between shipping industry partners, government agencies and education partners in the maritime transport sector. All project outcomes will be reflected in a strategy document with a concrete action plan.