Manpower survival

Lack of qualified specialists in the sphere of marine transport is still a relevant problem irrespective of the recession and reduction of staff in numerous companies. Development of intermediate vocational education would be able to help solve the problem. As per the experts’ opinion, maritime colleges and technical schools graduates are demanded more than those of higher educations. Besides higher percentage of them stay s in their profession. Nevertheless, the number of graduates of institutions of intermediate vocational education is several times less than that of higher education institutions.

Lack of manpower has been one of the main problems of marine transport development for a long time. Both representatives of the educational system and those of business speak on the matter. There is a problem of manpower drain abroad where salary is 30-40% higher than in Russia.

The tendency has been many times discussed at various levels. Igor Levitin, Minister of Transport, in particular, stated social and tax stimulation of higher education shipping institutions graduates was necessary. Active development of intermediate vocational education institutions could significantly contribute into the problem salvation: it takes less time for specialists training but there are more positions for their graduates as a rule.


In St.-Petersburg there are three independent specialized secondary educational establishments that train specialists on sea and river escorting. But GOU SPO LomonosovMaritime College is specialized in preparation of manpower for navy. As a result, only two institutions are left for ‘civil needs’: GOU SPO St.-Petersburg maritime technical college and FGOU SPO St.-Petersburg maritime college of fishing industry. Besides there are two educational establishments of higher education institutions: College of maritime transport of St.-Petersburg State University of Water Communications and Shipping college of State Maritime Academy of admiral. Makarov. But most of the secondary educational establishments have significantly reduced the number of graduates which is not enough to satisfy the market demand.

Applicants counted in hundreds

There are several vacancies for each graduate of a maritime college even in the economical recession conditions. As per Victor Nikitin, principal of St.-Petersburg maritime technical college, even if we graduated twice as more navigators and ship-engineers than now they would be successfully employed all the same. The college annually prepares up to 200 specialists to the date (for comparison: over a thousand specialists graduate from State Academy of admiral Makarov).

As for St.-Petersburg maritime college of fishing industry it accepted 240 people annually but the plan was reduced to 125 applicants upon request of the University. ‘The matter is that we re federal education establishment and that is why the salary of our teachers is significantly less than that in the city. That is why we had to reduce their number which lead to reduction of applicants accepted,’ explained Nikolai Bezruk, the principal of FGOU SPO St.-Petersburg maritime college of fishing industry

Colleges of higher education establishment e.g. College of maritime transport of St.-Petersburg State University of Water Communications and Shipping college of State Maritime Academy of admiral. Makarov accepted 122 people. Examination in the college is almost absent.

Another problem of maritime colleges, technical schools is that secondary professional education is not valued.

‘Mostly leavers of Leningrad region schools enter our college,’ says Vitalii Baglai, Deputy principal of College of State Maritime Academy of admiral. Makarov, ‘as it is an opportunity for them to move to the city. Local applicants enter Higher education establishments to the most part, it is important for them to get a diploma’. As per Baglai, greater percentage of college graduates prefer staying and working in their profession than that of university graduates. ‘Our graduates have a lot of practice that is why they don’t need so much additional training and more scrupulous in their work,’ highlighted Baglai.

HR experts also highlight that college and university graduates have equal employment opportunities. ‘It is not a principal issue for an employer which educational establishment was graduated by its employee,’ says Irina Zenkina, Skybuilding consulting company manager (occupied in search of specialists in transportation and logistics sphere). ‘Most of the graduates don’t have problems with employment – job hunting takes a day, and most of the perspective graduates are already employed when studying. At the same time the number of vacancies for mid-level specialists is greater than that for graduates with higher education’.

To the better

Notwithstanding all the difficulties, maritime colleges representatives say interest to their education is steadily growing, moreover salary in the sphere of marine transport remains high. For example navigators monthly salary (they are officially called captain’s mate-of-watch as a rule), even without working experience can amount to 3.5 thousand dollars.

‘Speciality of navigator ceased to be valued in post-Soviet time,’ says Viktor Nikitin, ‘it is quite hard and full of specific peculiarities. Nevertheless this year we accepted more applicants as compared to the previous year irrespective of demographic slump. It means the interest to the profession is regained’.

Nikolai Bezruk is of the same opinion. As per him, a number of 9-class leavers whishing to enter colleges also increased due to army reforms and introduction of Unified State Examination. ‘It will take time to resume the volumes of specialists trained because our fleet had been in stagnation for a several years; and accordingly, popularity of profession reduced to minimum,’ he pondered.

In future the program of state support of post-secondary vocational education that was included into the national project has to play its role. Technical reequipping of colleges shall take place under the program which will lead to improvement of training level. A project of equipment modernization of Maritime technical college has already been implemented. In 2008 the overall amount of funds allowed for Petersburg post-secondary vocational education development amounted to RUR 3.3 bln, including RUR1.574 bln (+48%) of city budget funds, RUR800 bln (24%) of federal budget funds, RUR929 mln of funds from non-budgetary source

Margarita Rakhnova