The working group report
Chapter 2 – Marine Training Programme
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Chapter 2 – Marine Training Programme2.0 Targets and Objectives.
The target for the marine training programme for the Xth Plan was, besides our retaining our share of the global seafarers' employment market (i.e. 6% of officers and ratings), to supply 20% of the additional manpower requirement, so as to be able to reach an overall 6.6%. Given that the aim is still not fulfilled, we may decide to retain the same target, of maintaining our share unchanged of the total workforce, while supplying an additional 20% of the current estimated shortages. In the case of officers, this would range from 32,560 (6% of 466,000 plus 20% of 23,000) to 40360 (6% of 466,000 plus 20% of 62,000) and for ratings from 48150 (7.5% of 586,000 plus 20% of 21,000) to 57750. Seeing how widely off the mark the BIMCO's projections for 2005 had proved, and how tentative the database is for all countries, it should be safe to plan on the higher figure. This would put our annual outturn target for officers, at the most, at 13,360 officers and 2750 ratings. However, we have to contend with a 15% attrition rate, which implies that about 4,050 officers have to be replaced every year, and therefore, 5,386 officers have to be turned out annually. For ratings, presuming 8.3% attrition, we would lose in ten years, 45,650 men, leaving us with 9,350 of the existing workforce, and if the target is 57750, we would need to add 4840 ratings per annum. Annual Wastage Rates
Source : 2005 BIMCO/ISF Update 2.2 Trainees annual out-turn That would still not define our target. This figure does not take into account the trainees in the pipeline, those who are swelling in number because of the bottleneck at the sea time training slots to process them and their inability to pass the Certificate of Competency (CoC) examinations. Presuming that, having spent time, money and effort in maritime training, their motivation to complete the course would be high, we may presume a major portion of these trainees would eventually join the workforce. Annual outturn would need to be reduced commensurately, and our estimate moves closer to 3,886 per annum (all 18,000 officers) or, say, 3,800 per annum. For ratings, the annual out-turn of seamen would be reduced to 2720 per annum (at 80% of trainees staying the course). 2.3 Requirements This figure would be nearer the target. It may be noted that the figure of officers should further be divided into the requirement at the cadet, the junior and the senior levels of officers. About 25% of the senior or management level of officers in the world fleet are in the age group where they would retire in the coming decade. Demand at the cadet level is, therefore, to be appropriately reduced. Chapter 3 3.1 Quantitative Focus An assessment may be made of the output of the current programme against the above target and objective, beginning with the quantitative. 3.2 Training Capacities - Officers The table in Annexure I gives the annual increase in pre-sea nautical and engineering cadet courses since 1998. The intake capacities of all officer-training institutes have risen steadily, to reach 5,263 in 2006. Thus, the intake at pre-sea cadet levels, with averages of approximately 20% to cater to drop-outs and failures, has reached the necessary target. Further creation of training capacities will not be necessary; and until the waiting trainees are absorbed, fresh admissions may even have to be suspended for a year or two. In 2006, calculating by the length of each course and the admission figures in the relevant years, superimposed by an estimated pass percentage, we may surmise that, about 3200 Indian officer pre-sea trainees emerged from the institutes and set out in search of sea time training slots abroad ships. The combined absorption of these officers by all shipping companies and manning agents operating in India for that year was put at only about 1,750 in nautical and about 1,000 in engineering streams, indicating that about 450 officer trainees were unable to complete the sea-going module of their training. In 2007, this figure will rise, and 2008, it will grow further, creating a wasteful overcapacity of 50% of the sanctioned intake in officer pre-sea courses, unless something is done to increase the sea time training slots commensurate with the pre-sea capacities. This mismatch in figures is based on the assumption that the average lead time for pre sea training is about 2.1 years for nautical, and 1.75 years for engineering officer trainees. 3.3 Training Capacities – Ratings In 2006, India’s intake capacity was 4,726. Against this, about 3400 were expected to be trained and available for employment by the end of 2006, and exact numbers of pre-sea trainees in the pipeline are not known. In order to replace the 8.3% retirement rate among ratings, an annual fresh induction of about 4,800 seafarers is necessary. Judging by the consistent drop in recruitment of ratings by employers, it would be a challenging task to successfully reverse this trend and then capture increasing market share in the global fleet. Therefore, it will be advisable to fully utilise existing capacity before increasing trainee induction. . 3.4 Scarcity of Sea Time Berths From the above, it is clear that there is a disturbing shortage of sea time berths to absorb the number of pre-sea officer and rating trainees. This has had several negative effects:
Despite the establishment of many training institutes, well publicized recruitment drives by prestigious shipping companies, the continued shortage of sea time berths suggests that the approach to the problem needs to be changed. In any event, in the coming five years, the quantitative focus needs to shift from increasing cadet intake in pre-sea training institutions to creating more sea time training slots. 3.5 The Qualitative Issues Qualitatively, while a great deal has been done, there can never come a time when an training system can afford to turn complacent. The truth is that the focus since 2000 has been on setting up a system; the time has now come to consolidate the gains of these years, and to shift the focus to quality; in particular, to improve
At the post–sea levels, in which private institutes run DGS approved courses, candidates undergo written and oral exams conducted by the DGS, addressing the issue of quality would mean a review of the passing numbers, the time taken to pass, the efficacy of courses as evidenced by trainees’ feedback, the strength and skills of the faculty employed. Finally, the examination system itself will need to be reviewed so as to avoid leakages and scams and to make them more objective and less harassing for the candidates. Chapter 4 4 The Quantitative Issues 4.1 Creation of Additional Sea time berths. 4.1.1 Embedding Sea time Internship in Pre Sea Courses The following strategy is recommended to bring about a match between intake capacity in institutes and sea time training berths:-
4.1.2 Training Obligation Under Tonnage Tax Simultaneously, Indian National Shipowners' Association (INSA) members should be co-opted into allocating 10% of each ship's safe manning scale exclusively to post-sea training berths. However, as the principle of recovering 'training cost' from the trainee is statutorily proscribed, this must be borne by the future employers and not by individual trainees. In fact, if INSA wants to attract the best, it would be well advised, like the best lines, to offer stipends for the internship. DGS in turn, should consider if it should not take into consideration 10% of the actual crew complement rather than the notional safe manning figure. 4.1.3 Proposal to IMO for Compulsory Training Slots aboard all ships. It is clear that the global demand for officers cannot be met because of the global shortages of sea time training slots, until the ship owners take stock of the position and realize that no one can resolve this issue or wish it away except them. Unless ships provide training berths, cadets cannot obtain CoCs. The BIMCO/ISF 2000 update suggests an awakening to this problem, and discussions with foreign and Indian shipping lines vessels a greater readiness to commit to or accept a training obligation. It is felt that the time is ripe to approach the IMO with a proposal to make it mandatory for ships to have 10% of them manning added on as trainee/internee crew, to make provision accordingly.
If the review has revealed anything at all, it has laid bare the inadequacy of the current seafarer database available with the DGS. The initiatives needed are: (a) obtain and record employment data for each seaman from all registered manning agents. At the same time, it would become essential to stop the operations of unregistered and unscrupulous manning agents. In this regard, the Sub Group considered as sound the suggestion to put a check through visa issuing authorities on seafarers going out through unregistered agents, and recommends that it be instituted. (b) the INDOS database must be urgently collated, sorted and secured, if necessary, using more efficient computer software, and extra expenditure for this purpose, must be immediately sanctioned. A secure, computer-based national database is an indispensable tool for proper management of not only seafarers, but the entire citizenry. In addition to INDOS, a biometric identity cum smart card, capable of storing the individual’s professional record in electronic form must be issued to every seafarer. This will finally put an end to the dubious distinction that India has of being a repository of fake certificates. The central database shall accurately record the activities of all training institutes, seafarers, employers, trainers and efficient cross-referencing and search options will ensure data reliability and effective deployment of manpower and resource planning. 4.3 The Qualitative Issue 4.3.1 Monitoring and Control The quality, management and performance of training institutes, including their faculty and passing trainees should be continuously monitored. In the past, such inspections have been mainly infrastructure oriented, resulting in a large number of sub-standard trainees entering the external examination stage and the job market. This is most urgently required for modular courses, where the institute independently conducts all assessments, and frequent doubts have been expressed in the proper conduct of courses. This anomaly will be corrected under the proposed nation-wide consolidation and re-organisation of training systems under the Indian Maritime University (IMU), but the DGS should begin even under the present arrangement, to put systems in place which the IMU can adopt or build upon.
In 2004, the Directorate General of Shipping made it mandatory for all training institutes to be rated by accredited rating agencies. The scope was later narrowed down only to pre-sea training institutes. At that time, some maritime associations proposed that the rating be done by a combined panel of experts representing all constituencies within the industry. It is suggested that this panel be in the form of an ‘Advisory Group’ and be empowered to closely monitor and continuously rate the performance of every training institute. Those establishments that repeatedly fail to attain benchmark performance standards will be ordered to shut down and the trainees/faculty transferred to other superior institutes.
4.4.1 The establishment of the Indian Maritime University (IMU) is nearing realization. It should play the role of a centralized nodal agency for coordinating and controlling maritime training throughout India. In due course, IMU must get affiliated to the World Maritime University, and become a centre of excellence in the content and quality of maritime training. It is also hoped that the visibility and reputation of this University will regularly attract large numbers of high quality entrants to select a career in shipping, in a way similar to prestigious institutions like IIT’s and IIM’s. 4.4.2 Reconstitution of Academic Council Into an Advisory Group The important role presently being played by the Regional Academic Councils should be further strengthened by reconstituting them to form the Advisory Group, as suggested above. This group must be headed by a domain expert and comprise professional and technical bodies and organizations, industry veterans, trainers and Government officials. Besides absorbing the existing roles of the Academic Councils, including inspecting institutes, this group will regularly review the entire training and certification processes, including rating of institutes, implementing timely changes in syllabi, training and assessment methods. It will be empowered to advise the Government on policy matters relating to training and manpower supply, and eventually to conduct all seafarers’ examinations independently, thus freeing the Directorate to concentrate on core issues. Initially, it is proposed that this team is established by volunteers, but once fully functional, it can be institutionalized and a central corpus, jointly funded by institutes, maritime training trusts and the Government, can pay a reasonable honorarium to the members and reimburse expenses. 4.4.3 Regional and National Support Resource Centre There is also a dire shortage of skilled faculty. The IMU and the Advisory Group should form a Regional and National Support Resource Centre, comprising a core team of expert faculty drawn from leading training institutes both by invitation and by rotation. Expert members of this body could create a comprehensive library of audio-visual training modules consisting of lectures, demonstrations and exercises, covering the entire syllabus of each IMO model course. Secure copies of these programmes could be then marketed to training institutes to supplement course delivery in classrooms. Such distance-learning methods have been very successfully used by The Open University in the United Kingdom and IGNOU and other training institutions in India. Besides ensuring a uniformly high level of learning, this mode could overcome periods of faculty shortage. 4.4.4 Faculty Competence Improvement Schemes and Support Systems As in all technical training, faculty and instructors in maritime training institutes must constantly keep themselves abreast of the latest technical developments within the industry as well as update their skills and competence. It is suggested that a system of providing all faculty with academic and practical training in teaching, and regular refresher courses, including sea-going opportunities, be instituted for achieving and maintaining the desired levels of competence. During inspections of training institutes, it is suggested that the Advisory Group shall also interview and assess the competence and skills of active faculty members, and offer suitable advice and guidance to promote best practice. Such peer evaluation techniques are very effectively used in many professions throughout the world. In order to attract and retain the best faculty talent, the IMU should ensure that the wage levels in training institutes are fixed at comparable levels to the earnings in appropriate sea-going ranks. 4.5 Review of Examination and Certification Processes
The prevailing system is rather tedious with undue emphasis on lengthy, theory-based written answers and subjective oral examinations. Very effective and efficient objective-type assessment techniques can be used to reliably determine the level of knowledge, while simulator-based exercises can demonstrate the candidate’s practical skills. Presently, some examiners seem to forget that seafarers are essentially operators of ships, not designers, builders or regulators, and quiz them on issues that betrays their own lack of training to pose appropriate questions suited to the level for which the student is appearing, and not the level at which he will fail. There is also need to review if orals is still the right way for examiners to judge the attainment and skill of the candidates, especially when the increasing technological levels on board ships would require them to possess more deftness on the simulator and in practicals to satisfy their employers, and whether the combination of orals and writtens should not be admixed with simulator work to test skill levels. Finally, the entire process of assessment and certification must be made more transparent, user-friendly, speedy and effective, as undue delay in passing an otherwise deserving examinee only exacerbates the manpower shortage and worse, gifts the shipboard vacancy to a seafarer from a rival seafarer supplying nation.
It is proposed that a Controller of Examinations be appointed, one each for the Nautical and Engineering branches, who will be responsible for selecting, orienting and training the question setters, examiners, invigilators and interviewers and generally directing and controlling the examination system, as centrally as practicality will allow, and with a greater degree of security and lower probability of leaks. Under his/her guidance, a comprehensive question and answer bank can also be created, drawn on, and regularly reviewed, and updated, as appropriate. 4.6 Shore Based Careers: Training Needs, Lateral Movement of Seafarers to These Positions With India’s continuing economic growth, job opportunities for seafarers will proportionately rise in the wider shipping industry, e.g. Port Management, Agency Services, Maritime Law, Maritime Economics and Finance, Marine Insurance, Logistics, Cargo Surveying, Freight Forwarding, Recruiting, Training, Travel and Tourism etc. In addition, there is promising scope for higher studies and research in areas like Marine Biology, Marine Ecology, Ballast Water Management, Oceanography, Hydrography, Meteorology, Shipbuilding and Repair, Naval Architecture, Marine Electronics/Engineering, Material Sciences and several others. Hence, a lateral movement of seafarers to these positions and activities is inevitable, but this should be seen not as a drain of seafarers, but as an expansion and development of the industry in general and consolidation of knowledge and skills. The involvement of leading universities, training institutions and professions will have to be actively sought to ensure the attainment of acceptable standards in all these fields. 4.7 Goal of at Least One Indian National on Every Foreign Flag Ship With the assured volume of job opportunities over the next decade, India’s goal should be to place at least one Indian seafarer on board every merchant ship in the world. This will have an added benefit of transfer of knowledge and expertise from the most modern of vessels to our national knowledge pool. 4.8 Working Conditions Employers will also be monitored for providing seafarers with a safe and conducive work environment, favourable employment conditions, fair treatment and continued in-service training. Although seafarer’s trade unions and associations may take on this role, the Directorate and the Seamen’s’ Employment Office will vigorously pursue cases of gross violation of seafarers’ rights. Chapter 5 Indian Maritime University 5.1 Objectives : The IMU will have the following objectives:- 5.1.1 To facilitate and promote maritime studies, research and extension work with focus on emerging areas of studies including marine science and technology, marine environment, socio-economic, legal and other related fields, and also to achieve excellence in these and connected fields and other matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. 5.1.2 To promote advanced knowledge by providing institutional and research facilities in such branches of learning as it may deem fit; to make provisions for integrated courses in Science and other key areas of Marine Technology and other allied disciplines in the training programmes of the University and ; 5.1.3 To take appropriate measures for promoting innovations in the teaching-learning process in inter-disciplinary studies and research, paying special attention to the promotion of the training and economic interests and welfare of the people of Union of India. 5.2 Proposals :- 5.2.1 Formation of IMU as a Central University and Enactment of IMU Act : Keeping in view the need, and the recommendations of the Expert Committee constituted by the Central Government for the purpose, it is proposed to set up a new Central University called the Indian Maritime University (IMU) by an Act of Parliament. The draft Bill for the purpose is under finalized.
Consequent upon the conversion of the above named four institutes constituting part of IIMS, into campuses of IMU all employees of IIMS who are on deemed deputation shall stand transferred to IMU. Similarly, all employees of NMA shall stand transferred to IMU. The employees will have the following options:-
It is envisaged that the Union Headquarters will be in Chennai, and the existing IIMS, National Maritime Academy, Chennai will be subsumed by the IMU. It will be made private institutes to seek affiliation with the IMU. In addition to the existing courses, the IMU will run graduate, post-graduate and doctoral courses to provided trained manpower to the growing structured needs of the larger marine industry, under four or five departments - Nautical Services, Marine Biology and Services, Marine Engineering, Naval Architecture, Marine Management and Logistics Services, Port Management etc.
Chapter 6 - Financials
The plan proposals have been made under PPP model, wherever possible on a self-financing basis. In all there are three proposals
The details of the proposals and the financial outlay thereon are explained hereunder.
The Research Support Groups are purported to function as Advisory Bodies cross-purpose compulsorily replacing the present inspectorial regimes.
The purpose of the Group is to effectively monitor, support and coordinate the activities of maritime training institutes to continuously upgrade the skills of the teaching faculty, inculcating modern teaching methodologies, to suggest and implement better methods of curriculum development, study materials and installation of teaching aids and installation of conducive equipment of training, performance assessment for trainees, providing individual guidance to needy trainees so on and so forth. As envisaged, the proposed Research Support Groups are meant to develop proper monitoring and reporting systems and conduct system audit on a continuous and sustainable basis in the analogy of a resident audit. It is also enunciated that the Research Support Groups would identify the difficulties if any experienced by institutes in implementing the quality standards prescribed by the Indian Maritime Administration and serve as a watchdog. For this purpose, the proposed Research Support Groups need a headquarters office for administration and direction under the control of the Director General of Shipping assisted by a technical and administrative team comprising one Dy. Nautical Advisor, one Dy. Chief Ship Surveyor and one Dy. Director General of Shipping (Administration) and one Asst. Director General of Shipping. The office needs the following staff at the headquarters. Office Superintendent : 1 Assistants : 4 UDCs : 3 LDCs : 2
Peons : 1 6.4 Research Support Groups- Rest of HQs and Regional Offices Rest of the headquarters and regional offices would comprise of experts from the Board of Examiners comprising the Company of Master Mariners and Institute of Marine Engineers, besides such of the trade bodies as could be associated on a honorary basis to start with and eventually to be replaced with domain experts paid out of the system on a suitable honorarium nevertheless on cost-plus basis, the entire cost eventually being recoverable from the maritime institutes concerned. The Research Support Groups would also do the rating of the maritime institutes and conduct quality audit against the standards evolved as a part of the quality system under proposition. The institutes that are spending money for these purposes in the existing system separately like Quality Audits like BIS and Rating Agencies like CRISIL, ICRA and CARE would not be subjected to any extra financial burden. The all embracing quality system implementing by the RSG would also avoid multiplicity of inspectorial regimes that have different purposes and parameters and hence is apprehended to defeat the very purpose of the improving the standards of maritime training. 6.5 Research Support Groups – Regional Officers The regional offices of the Research Support Groups group will have a smaller setup for the regions, based on the number of institutes coming under the respective region. The physical infrastructure for the setup would be provided by the respective offices of the MMDs. However the travel and office expenses of the Research Support Groups have been factored into the cost of the project. All the departmental posts for creation of this project are proposed as Plan Posts, for the purpose of easy creation. The amounts recoverable from the institutes towards the Research Support Centers shall be adequate to cover the cost of deployment of inspectors, trainers, academicians and other resource persons as may be deployed for the purpose of developing, maintaining and improving the standards of training imparted in various maritime training and training institutes. 6.6. Pre-Sea /Post-Sea Training Institutes As of now there are 128 institutes out of which 67 institutes' are pre-sea institutes, the rest conducting modular and post-sea courses. As the standards and stipulations for a pre-sea institute is much more stringent than those applicable to post-sea courses and institutes running such course, the number of resource persons would be commensurate with the nature of courses. Accordingly the estimates for various kinds of courses have been worked out as follows. 6.7.0 Pre-sea institutes (New) Henceforth approval of pre-sea institutes will be in three stages. 6.7.1 In-principle approval : No institute will be approved after its creation. No physical infrastructure will be asked for being created before the in-principle approval is given. The in-principle approval would be given on the basis of the reputation of the promoters, their financial solvency measured through tax returns, statement of affairs or audited balance sheets in respect of corporate or other bodies, availability of and potentials to acquire the requisite land ability to construct the infrastructure within the prescribed time-limit and so on. The Research Support Group would be asked to conduct such inquiries as to certify these aspects before the in-principle approval is accorded by the Director General of Shipping. 6.7.2 Letter of Intent The second stage approval would be a letter of intent, which would be after preliminary inspection by the Research Support Group of the infrastructure created by the institute. 6.7.3 Final Approval The final approval would be after certification of the academic structure such as appointment of faculty, Principal, Dean, Wardens and so on, development of curriculum, study materials, laboratories, workshop and complete infrastructure and tie-up Memorandum of Understanding arrangements for sea-time for the trainees. The Research Support Group stays on with the institute providing a concurrent efficiency audit to bring about value for money for the student in terms of academic and professional accomplishment. The man-hours estimate for a pre-sea institute would work out around 70 man-days, which at Rs. 3,000 per day comes around Rs.3.00 lakhs for a new institute and for a continuing pre-sea institute this would be in the order of 35 man days working out to Rs. 1.00 lakhs. On an average, each pre-sea institute spends around Rs. 3 lakhs on the Research Support Group apart from Travel and office expenses, which are apportioned at actuals or at such proportion as may be determined from year to year respectively. On an average the institute spends around Rs.2.50 lakhs if it is a pre-sea institute and half of it if it were a post-sea training institute. The total revenue for the system. This works out to Rs.1.00 Crore Per year, which should be all it would take to constitute the Research Support Center for starters. There would be special services and consultancy in the subsequent years that would take care of the additional and improvement cost.
The proposed maritime university will cater to three major aspects. Firstly, it would continue to offer and co-ordinate training programmes for the maritime sector in the country. The umbrella of the University will facilitate standardization and further improvement of quality. Secondly, the university will offer higher academic programmes and research leading to degree / diploma in the identified disciplines enabling the personnel to become more knowledgeable and to become innovators. At present, only limited number of personnel could afford the expenses to go to foreign universities to pursue such programmes. Thirdly, the university would become the nodal point for interaction between the academia and the industry and the university faculty could offer consultancy services to the industry. The University would also function as a knowledge and resource centre offering inputs to the Government for policy making.
Most maritime nations whether it is in the developed western world or in the emerging countries in far-east, the maritime universities have been set up and funded by the Government to provide the growth impetus for the industry through supply of high quality manpower. The proposed Indian Maritime University would also require Government support in the initial ten year period. The University would aim for self-sufficiency in due course when the academic programmes get stabilized at an optimal level and the industry-oriented service brings higher earnings. The total capital outlay of Rs.230.00 crores is envisaged for setting up of university for the main campus at Chennai and regional campuses at Mumbai, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam. This capital requirement would be spread over a period of seven years from 2007-08 to 2013-14.
As far as non-plan budget is concerned, the major deficit area relates to the higher academic courses offered by the University and this deficit could be bridged through higher revenue from the industry oriented consultancy services. A non-plan budget support to the tune of Rs.10.00 crores will be required for the first year 2007-2008 and further support level will be in the order of Rs.20-25 crores per year over the first ten years as shown in the project details. It is expected that the university will commence its higher academic programmes from the year 2007-2008 onwards.
As per the estimate presented above, the university will require funds to meet the entire plan expenditure for the construction of the campus and augmentation of existing facilities and also to meet the non-plan expenditure to the extent it falls deficit over the income generated. The entire capital (Plan) expenditure needs to be met as a one-time grant from the Government. The total requirement towards capital is to an extent of Rs.198.47 crores as given under the Annexure IV. 7.0 Indian Maritime University. The present institutes under the IIMS will be subsumed by the IMU. The IMU will for the starters will have the following departments:-
Adopting the prevailing fee structure, for certain courses and extrapolating there, the financial proposals, have been worked out of tables. 7.1 Indian National Seafarers Information System:- The capital cost of the system has already been detailed at Chapter I. The running expenditure of the system are as follows:-
Report of the Sub-Group (coastal shipping) set up by the Working Group on Shipping & Inland Water Transport for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012) PRESENTED BY CHAIRMAN, INDIAN COASTAL CONFERENCE SCINDIA HOUSE, BASEMENT, NAVROTTAM MORARJEE MARG, BALLARD ESTATE MUMBAI-400 038. Preface 1. The Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways – Department of Shipping vide their letter no. SY-11018/3/2006-SC dated 22.06.2006, set up a Sub-Group (Coastal Shipping) of the Working Group on Shipping and IWT with the Chairman, Indian Coastal Conference as its Chairman with the terms of reference as follows: Yüklə 2,67 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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