As part of its attempt to attract more women to the maritime industry, vessel management giant Columbia Group has launched a mentoring programme for female cadets.
Recognizing that the sector is failing to get a large amount of female talent, the group hopes that the mentoring programme will not only attract more women on board ships, but also help keep them in the industry after their apprenticeships.
Mentoring is a training and job guidance methodology based on the relationship between a more experienced individual – the mentor – and a less experienced one. The Columbia Group uses the OneCare Solutions (OCS) service provider to train mentors who will be senior colleagues, trained to deal with situations such as sexual harassment and bullying.
Mentors will be assigned to a cadet for the entire 12 months of service at sea.
According to Programme leader Claudia Paschkewitz, Columbia Group’s Managing Director of Sustainability, Diversity and Inclusion, the culture in the industry had to be changed to enable women to make a career in the maritime sector.
The programme draws on a 2019 Solent University report that highlights how mentoring programmes are also able to lower health and safety costs, as well as reduce staff turnover.
According to a 2021 report by BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping, women account for only 1.2% of the 1.89 million seafarers globally.
Translation by Giles Foster
