Attracting Talent to Pursue a Career at Sea
Diversity to us at BW Epic Kosan means celebrating differences in our skill sets and perspectives, which can help us gain a competitive advantage both in business and in attracting talent.
Investing in People, Investing in Diversity
We invest in our people and view diversity as something extending beyond just gender, nationality and age. With 27 nationalities currently working in the company, we
consider that providing equal opportunities is a must to remain an attractive employer. We adhere to all prevailing laws and regulations. Our human resources policies in relation to recruitment, training and performance appraisal are regularly reviewed by the Management. We practise fair hiring based on merit, and do not discriminate based on race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, political affiliation, or any other non-work-related characteristic protected by law.
We are continually working towards strengthening our workplace culture in order to foster an environment where all employees are treated fairly and with respect. At the same time, we continue to recognise industry challenges in relation to attracting female talent due to the nature of maritime trade. These challenges include occupational cultural barriers, lack of awareness and knowledge about females at sea, and the slow development of effective policies and strategies aimed at recruiting and retaining female seafarers.
Female Cadet Programme
To address these challenges, in 2022 we inaugurated a Female-Cadet Programme, a five-year plan to increase our number of female seafarers. Under the programme
the cadets must complete an approved maritime course in a maritime educational institution. After successful completion of the course, they need to pass the company’s recruitment process in order to qualify for the cadetship training programme. Once they are hired, they undergo in-house training at BWEK’s office, as well as an
induction programme and pre-embarkation training. They join as deck or engine cadets for two contracts to complete the 12-month cadetship training prior to their officer qualification examinations. We at BWEK will support and monitor each cadet’s career progression until they become a Master or Chief Engineer.
Inspiring the Next Generation
An internal campaign was lauched as part of our WellAtSea intiiative, where we asked crew onboard for ideas on how we can recruit more talent and in particular female seafarers. The team received a lovely animation from Deck Cadet Shania Ferrer. DC Ferrer hails from Mindoro, a large island south of Manila, and she is currently onboard Isabella Kosan. From her perspective as a young female seafarer, she shares ideas on how to attract new talent to our industry. We thank DC Ferrer for her excellent ideas, and look forward to implementing them soon.
