A Study on Educations Role in Establishing Strategies for Improving Safety at Sea

Safety at sea is a major concern of the maritime industry and it is through education and training that continued improvement can be realized. Despite increased awareness there has often only been minimal improvement made to training programs. The steady stream of accidents and disasters at sea are testament to this situation. This paper has been written to encourage a review of present maritime education and training so as to provide a catalyst for improved safety at sea.In order to deal with these issues, three specific areas have been selected from extant literature that clearly demonstrate the important role education plays in the improvement of safety at sea. Parallels have been made to ways in which the aviation industry also deals with safety. The opinions of cadets at one maritime university in South Korea have been surveyed which afford a very powerful insight into the viewpoints of our future seafarers. A major rationale of this study is that issues of safety at sea are kept clearly in the attention of all involved in the maritime industry. By understanding the important role that education plays in improving safety at sea it is hoped that trainers and educators will continuously take time to improve the service they provide to seafarers and to the industry as a whole. The implications of the strategies outlined in this paper will hopefully encourage those with the power to induce change to search for ways to improve and implement the education and training that seafarers urgently need in order to enjoy a safe working environment.