Philippine E-Journals

The Future Seafarer: A Comparative View on Workplace Skills of Filipino Senior and Junior Officers

Joseph C. Bangod | Dennis C. Abrea | Arvy L. Arasola | Rommel C. Bobadilla | Mayiel Tomada | Rio Henson L. Derecho

 

Abstract:

This study aims to have a comparative view of senior and junior officers on the importance of select workplace skills future seafarers should have. The workplace skills used in the study are 21 st century skills. The study is descriptive-survey and was participated by 50 seafarers affiliated with Magsaysay Training Center and Southfield Agencies Incorporation, two of the top manning crew in the country. The study found that seafaring is male-dominated; junior officers are not more than 35 years old with less than ten years of seagoing experience while senior officers are at least 41 years old with at least 10 years of active sea duty. Moreover, the study found that both senior and junior officers agree on the level of importance of the following workplace skills: collaboration, leadership, oral and written communication, ethics, technology literacy and planning. However, they have different view on level of importance on creativity, adaptability, social responsibility, cultural awareness and time management where the seniors gave these skills higher importance than the junior officers. The study recommends that future seafarers should be trained on management skills like leadership, communication, planning, and time management skills.