International Study Visit
59 Young people from Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Romania participated in the international study visit implemented with great success by BlueGeneration Project in cooperation with the Marine Cluster Bulgaria in Varna, 20st – 24th March.
Participants had an in-depth learning experience and networking opportunity, tailor-made to their career interests:
– in ship building and maritime transport, they interacted with professionals and academics, attended presentations, and practiced on the latest technological equipment, i.e., drones and boat simulators.
– in coastal tourism, they visited high-end facilities on the Black Sea, offering a variety of high-quality hospitality services, where they discovered new ways of seeing things and best practices that may be transferred to their local businesses.
The team visited the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy – Bulgarian Maritime University, the Bulgarian Ship Hydrodynamics Center, the MTG Dolphin Shipyard, College of Tourism – Varna, Aquahouse Thermal & Beach, and Св. Св. Константин и Елена
National Conference in Poland by FRSP
On 21 March 2023, at the Centre for Non-Governmental Organisations in Katowice, the third local conference within the “Blue Generation” project took place entitled. “Ocean of opportunities – development perspectives for young people”.
The aim of the conference was to introduce young people, as well as youth workers (such as career counsellors, teachers, employees of business incubators, career offices and job centres) to the perspectives offered by the Blue Economy in the sphere of education and employment.
At the beginning of the conference, the President of the FRSP, Marcin Germanekstressed the importance of the Blue Economy for the economic development of Poland and the EU. Next, the floor was taken by Ewa Skowronska, coordinator of the Blue Generation project, who presented to the participants the successes of FRSP in the project to date and outlined the plans and tasks for the next few months.
Each of the invited guests introduced our participants to the opportunities offered by the Blue Economy in the aquaculture, maritime transport and other broader maritime sectors (e.g. work in the navy, human resources management in companies cooperating with shipowners, waitress service on passenger ships, etc.). Each of the speakers emphasised that work in the maritime economy is specific, as it requires passion and commitment, but at the same time gives a lot of satisfaction and many employers now need (and will need) qualified and experienced staff.
After each speech, participants had the opportunity to ask questions of our guests.
The conference was attended by 20 participants (young people and career counsellors). Promotional activities related to the conference were carried out from mid-February 2023.
National Conference in Greece by Militos and Helmepa
500+ young people aged 15-29 years old participated with enthusiasm in Blue Generation’s open and active workshop on “EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE BLUE ECONOMY”, held at the War Museum of Athens on Thursday, May 11, 2023, aiming to connect young people with professionals in the blue economy, education, and sustainable development.
Impressive was the mood of the young people for direct interaction with representatives from the sectors of CoastalTourism, Fisheries and Aquaculture, MarineBiotechnology, OceanEnergy, MarineTransport and Shipbuilding, who shared their knowledge and experiences with the audience and guided them in planning their careers.
Topics highlighted:
– Professions that are in high demand and require varying degrees of specialization, such as: SoftwareEngineer in creating applications for Shipping and Yachting, Sailor in marina management, Sailor or SalesMarketingExecutive in Aquaculture, Technician pipe fitter or Welder in Shipbuilding and Maintenance, Regulatory Framework Engineer in Ship Inspection and Marine Spatial Planning, Storage Manager in Port Management, Periballontologist in Marine Wind Farm Design, Biologist in the development of cosmetics from marine organisms.
– Sustainable development is a key pillar of the blue economy and professionals in all sectors should be aware of and integrate its objectives into their activities.
– softskills, such as resilience, teamwork, communication skills, the desire for continuouslearning, personality traits cultivated through volunteering, practice, and experimentation, were highlighted as an important factor in finding a job and professional success,
We would like to thank the distinguished representatives of the Blue Economy who participated in the conference and shared their knowledge and experiences with the enthusiastic young audience (presented in alphabetical order):
The workshop was implemented by Militos Consulting S.A., Leader of the European #BlueGeneration initiative in collaboration with HELMEPA – Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association, a partner in the consortium. Warm thanks to IEK DELTA(VET Center)for their support and to the Elefsina Port Authority, under whose auspices the workshop was implemented.
