NZ Maritime School tour highlights cruise ship careers

News release
18 November, 2013

New Zealand Maritime School tour highlights career opportunities in cruise ship industry

With the cruise ship season underway Manukau Institute of Technology’s (MIT) New Zealand Maritime School arranged for a group of careers advisors from high schools around the Auckland region to tour the Dawn Princess cruise ship while it was docked across the street from their campus.

Based in downtown Auckland, the NZ Maritime School overlooks the harbour and ports. It offers a broad range of qualifications in navigation and marine engineering, as well as New Zealand Commercial and Yacht licensing programmes. MIT’s Centre for Logistics also based at the campus offers programmes in logistics, shipping and freight.

Careers advisors from 21 schools including Dilworth School, St Kentigern College, One Tree Hill College, Howick College, Edgewater College, Mcleans College, Botany Downes Secondary College, Glenfield College, Orewa College, Kaipara College, Waiuku College, Avondale College, Waitakere Colleges, Tangaroa College, Pukekohe High School, Manurewa High School and Onehunga High School toured the Princess Cruises’ ship which sleeps 2000 passengers and 840 crew.

MIT’s NZ Maritime School Programme Co-ordinator, Captain Kees Buckens told the group, “With 95% of all goods transported into New Zealand by ship the maritime industry is of major importance to the country and it’s our goal to ensure we have enough people equipped with the skills and experience to manage the maritime industry into the future.”

“We offer programmes that can lead to a huge variety of ocean going and land based careers. Our graduates may start as a navigation officer or a marine engineer, then become Ships Captains or Chief Engineers before moving to land-based senior management roles running New Zealand’s 16 major ports,” he said.

Trained marine engineers are in huge demand by shipping companies and Captain Buckens told the careers advisors there are more jobs in this area than graduates.

“One of my students was made chief engineer within three years of graduating and now has a salary of more than $100 thousand per annum at the age of 25,” he said.

He went on to say that more than 40% of the NZ Maritime School’s graduates are employed in the cruise ship industry every year.

MIT lecturer, Captain Martin Burley escorted the career advisors on the tour of the ship. He has lectured at the NZ Maritime School for four years but has been involved in training mariners around the world in many different locations. “The NZ Maritime School has an international reputation and I believe it’s the best place in the world to study the courses it offers.”

The careers advisors had the opportunity to meet various members of staff including Deck Cadet Amy Templeton who told them she loves her job. “I got the perfect job for me and really love what I’m doing,” she said. “My father used to work overseas and I knew I wanted to travel so I enrolled to do a degree in Nautical Science Officer.”

Head of Careers at Waitakere College, Kubi Witten-Hannah said many of his students don’t even know of the opportunities in the maritime industry or of the courses offered by the NZ Maritime School.

“There’s been increased interest amongst our students about careers in the maritime industry following the America’s Cup this year,” he said

“That’s why I wanted to come along today to find out more as it’s always worth telling our students about careers where there are plenty of jobs, great salaries and the opportunity to travel the world,” he said.

“Seeing what the ship is like and talking to cadets like Amy today is really helpful as she has been able to tell me what it’s like living on board the ship and studying which is the same experience our students would have if they followed a career path in Nautical Science or Marine Engineering.”

For more information about the NZ Maritime School please got to http://www.manukau.ac.nz/nzmaritime or http://www.manukau.ac.nz/departments/logistics2.

Photo caption: Deck cadet Amy Templeton and Head of Careers at Waitakere College, Kubi Witten-Hannah, in the engine control room of cruise ship Dawn Princess as part of a tour organised by the New Zealand Maritime School to highlight career opportunities.

ENDS

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