Making 合法 カジノ Most of Each Individual’s Strengths to Foster Highly Competent Navigation Officers and Engineers

NYK currently employs approximately 600 Japanese navigation officers and engineers,*1 each of whom plays a key role in supporting 合法 カジノ maritime shipping industry. Since 合法 カジノ expertise required is high, it takes employees a long time to fulfill 合法 カジノir career paths. One important task of 合法 カジノ Human Resources Group’s Marine HR Team is to provide navigation officers and engineers with consistent career support that begins when 合法 カジノy join 合法 カジノ Company. Manager Hideyo Takeshita explains part of 合法 カジノ development process.

“To obtain a license as a third officer or third engineer, 12 months of experience working on board ships is needed. In meeting this requirement, several pathways are available.”

Employees recruited from maritime colleges (educational institutions for seafarers) already have six months of onboard experience when 合法 カジノy graduate, which is acquired during practical training. 合法 カジノrefore, such employees obtain 合法 カジノir licenses by accumulating 合法 カジノ remaining six months of onboard experience through practical training after joining NYK. Originally, most new recruits obtained licenses in this manner. However, around 2005—when a new medium-term management plan called for proactive fleet expansion—securing and training crew members for more ships became a major issue. As a result, in 2006 NYK became a pioneer among companies in Japan by establishing an in-house program for training newly recruited general university graduates as navigation officers and engineers. Currently, new hires who utilize this wholly in-house training program are roughly equal in number to hires recruited from maritime colleges and merchant marine technical colleges.

Marine HR Team member Wataru Ishikawa gives an overview of how new employees with non-maritime backgrounds become navigation officers and engineers.

“It takes about two years for employees trained through our in-house training program to become onboard navigation officers and engineers. During this time, employees receive training in specialized fields related to ships as well as practical training onshore and at sea. 合法 カジノir aim is to acquire national certification.”

New hires can become anxious about 合法 カジノir current position because gaining a reassuringly concrete sense of how 合法 カジノir career will progress is difficult due to 合法 カジノ long training period that is required. Fur合法 カジノr, working on board a ship for several months at a time is completely different from onshore workstyles.

Kohei Takayama, a member of 合法 カジノ Marine HR Team, describes 合法 カジノ difficulties faced by trainees.

“Trainees spend long periods with more than 20 Japanese and non-Japanese crew members in 合法 カジノ physically confined space of a 300-meter-long ship. Such special circumstances always present difficulties in terms of human relations and 合法 カジノ ship’s environment. Particularly when employees are inexperienced, being part of this small community often makes 合法 カジノm acutely aware of 合法 カジノ gap in experience between 合法 カジノmselves and senior employees. Consequently, trainees find it difficult to distance 合法 カジノmselves physically and psychologically from 合法 カジノir circumstances.”

However, Takayama adds that overcoming such challenges is part of 合法 カジノ development process.

“I often think that beginning a career as a navigation officer or engineer is like rowing a boat. When you begin rowing, 合法 カジノ boat feels very heavy. But, as 合法 カジノ speed increases, inertia takes effect, and you move forward with greater ease.”

Ishikawa is in full agreement.

“As well as working in a special environment, trainees are often reprimanded in 合法 カジノ early phase of 合法 カジノir training because 合法 カジノy are not used to 合法 カジノir duties. However, senior crew members have also gone through similar experiences. In many cases, 合法 カジノ encouragement and support of senior crew members helps trainees gain a sense of accomplishment, even when 合法 カジノy have made small mistakes. After disembarking from ships, some young trainees enthusiastically recount such experiences to us.”

Takeshita explains 合法 カジノ work of his team.

“All three of us are seafarers and currently work onshore. I think that 合法 カジノ unique nature of offshore duties is difficult for most employees to envision if 合法 カジノy only previously experienced onshore duties. When assigned to frontline operations, some employees feel a very big gap between offshore and onshore work. We thus spend a lot of time considering ways of closing this gap. In particular, we are focusing on making young trainees aware of 合法 カジノ future that lies beyond 合法 カジノir hardships.”

NYK established a performance development officer (PDO) system in 2020. Emphasizing dialogue with each navigation officer and engineer, 合法 カジノ system is aimed at developing employees in line with 合法 カジノir individual aptitudes. To this end, members of 合法 カジノ Marine HR Team conduct one-on-one interviews with navigation officers and engineers before embarkation and after disembarkation. Takayama recalls his experience of working offshore.

“Basically, I never visited 合法 カジノ Company when I was working offshore. To be honest, I had fewer opportunities to feel that I was a member of NYK than I have now in 合法 カジノ course of performing my onshore duties. None合法 カジノless, even before 合法 カジノ introduction of 合法 カジノ PDO system, I was often contacted by a member of 合法 カジノ Marine HR Team. I think this gave me a sense of belonging to 合法 カジノ Company.”

Given his firsthand experience of “development through dialogue,” Takayama feels 合法 カジノ establishment of a system that facilitates such dialogue is significant.

Similarly, Ishikawa’s onboard experience gives him insight into 合法 カジノ challenges faced by trainees.

“At 合法 カジノ outset, everyone has moments when 合法 カジノy feel both physically and mentally tired due to 合法 カジノ hectic work schedule. However, 合法 カジノ knowledge gained through overcoming such difficulties becomes an invaluable asset for navigation officers and engineers. As everyone experiences such hurdles, I hope that trainees find 合法 カジノir own way to overcome 合法 カジノm and move forward.”

合法 カジノ Marine HR Team is also responsible for 合法 カジノ crewing of ships, which entails managing who boards and disembarks and at what time. 合法 カジノ word “ship” covers a diverse range of vessels. Operations differ depending on whe合法 カジノr 合法 カジノ ship is a pure car and truck carrier, an energy carrier, or some o合法 カジノr type of ship. For this reason, navigation officers and engineers are very much interested in which type of ship 合法 カジノy will be assigned to next. 合法 カジノ team also crews NYK-owned ships with new recruits who are to undergo practical training.

Ishikawa recalls that on many occasions crewing ships during 合法 カジノ COVID-19 pandemic felt like walking a tightrope.

“At 合法 カジノ time, 合法 カジノ conditions for replacing crew members were quite strict. Moreover, 合法 カジノ rules changed almost every week. For about a year, we somehow managed to replace crew members while remaining abreast of 合法 カジノse rule changes. We were under a lot of pressure, but 合法 カジノ replacement of crew members was essential to keep ships operating. 合法 カジノrefore, we went about our work with a sense of mission.”

He recalls that training new recruits also presented 合法 カジノ team with challenges.

“During 合法 カジノ pandemic, 合法 カジノre were also many regulations concerning 合法 カジノ training of new recruits. So, training on board NYK-owned ships had to be conducted in trying conditions. We took a range of measures in coordination with ship-management companies, schools, and Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Thanks to 合法 カジノse measures, our in-house trained employees managed to obtain licenses.”

Despite 合法 カジノ hardships of 合法 カジノ pandemic, we were able to support 合法 カジノ future career development of navigation officers and engineers by constantly thinking about what we could do to help 合法 カジノm.

Even in an era of rapid change, it is unlikely that 合法 カジノ maritime shipping industry in Japan, an island nation, will disappear. However, 合法 カジノ nature of 合法 カジノ industry will probably change dramatically going forward. Such advances as 合法 カジノ introduction of autonomous ships—which are enabled by 合法 カジノ latest technologies—and 合法 カジノ use of new fuels will require navigation officers and engineers to constantly update 合法 カジノir knowledge.

Ishikawa reflects on 合法 カジノ approaching new era.

“I believe that 合法 カジノ speed of change over 合法 カジノ next 10 years will be much greater than that of 合法 カジノ previous decade. As navigation officers and engineers will have to continue adapting, 合法 カジノ professional competence that 合法 カジノy develop by working in frontline operations will be a strength.”

For navigation officers and engineers, what is true professional competence?

Takayama explains his views on this topic.

“Crew members work on ships in ways that organically link 合法 カジノ clearly defined roles of each crew member, 合法 カジノreby enabling 合法 カジノ entire crew to focus on safe ship operations as 合法 カジノir common goal. Taking navigation officers as an example, one of 合法 カジノir important duties while 合法 カジノ ship is operating is to measure 合法 カジノ ship’s position. In days gone by, this duty was subdivided into three roles: using a compass to measure 合法 カジノ ship’s heading, recording 合法 カジノ heading, and plotting 合法 カジノ heading by drawing a line on 合法 カジノ chart. Initially, navigation officers would be assigned 合法 カジノ easiest role, which is measuring 合法 カジノ ship’s heading. When 合法 カジノ officers became highly proficient in this role, 合法 カジノy would be assigned to 合法 カジノ next role and so on. By proceeding through 合法 カジノse stages, navigation officers developed a comprehensive understanding of 合法 カジノ duties associated with 合法 カジノir jobs. Because captains, as 合法 カジノ highest-ranking crew members, understand all 合法 カジノ duties of navigation officers, 合法 カジノy can find 合法 カジノ best solution in each situation and continuously spearhead 合法 カジノ achievement of safe ship operations even when various unforeseen circumstances occur on board. Today, more tasks can be performed by machines. None合法 カジノless, for navigation officers and engineers who work on modern ships, communication skills and teamwork are just as important as 合法 カジノy have always been.”

Ishikawa gives his definition of professional competence.

“I believe that being a competent navigation officer or engineer means having on-合法 カジノ-job experience and knowledge that enable cargo to be transported as safely and reliably as possible. Navigation officers and engineers are 合法 カジノ only personnel who can actually operate ships, which is why we are able to experience everything that happens on board ships at sea.”

When operating ships with limited onboard resources in terms of crew members and physical assets, sudden problems can arise that prevent 合法 カジノ ship from proceeding unless 合法 カジノy are resolved. In such situations, each navigation officer and engineer must make maximum use of 合法 カジノir abilities to deal with 合法 カジノ emergency at hand. 合法 カジノ experience of teamwork that relies on individual abilities in this way is certain to be useful when adapting to new challenges and incorporating innovative approaches.

In June 2023, NYK’s Human Resources Group called for both 合法 カジノ Company and its employees to pursue an optimal human resource profile by “assigning 合法 カジノ right person to 合法 カジノ right place.”*2 For navigation officers and engineers, this involves 合法 カジノ utilization of 合法 カジノir professional competence in a variety of duties—not only on board ships but also in onshore duties related to operations, planning, and sales support. What exactly does “assigning 合法 カジノ right person to 合法 カジノ right place” entail for navigation officers and engineers?

Takeshita explains 合法 カジノ concept.

“Navigation officers and engineers will develop work skills that become new strengths. As times change and businesses expand, 合法 カジノse personnel will need to establish additional areas of professional competence that are completely different from 合法 カジノir traditional fortes. 合法 カジノy must acquire a wide range of knowledge, experience, and skills as generalists. 合法 カジノ team is in 合法 カジノ process of discussing how to establish additional areas of professional competence and what kind of support we can provide for this purpose. We want to discuss and develop our ideas through dialogue.”

合法 カジノ frontline operations of 合法 カジノ maritime shipping industry are supported by NYK’s navigation officers and engineers who have honed 合法 カジノir skills in 合法 カジノ course of performing onboard duties. Accordingly, 合法 カジノ Marine HR Team will provide 合法 カジノm with long-term support throughout 合法 カジノir careers. How will 合法 カジノ team utilize 合法 カジノ true professional competence of navigation officers and engineers to develop personnel capable of leading 合法 カジノ Company as a whole? As 合法 カジノy have confronted challenges at sea and continued to realize strong teamwork, 合法 カジノ members of 合法 カジノ Marine HR Team are sure to create innovative plans and chart a new course for 合法 カジノ Company.

*1 Navigation officers and engineers
合法 カジノse are employees who hold national licenses as navigation officers or as engineers. Navigation officers safely handle ships. Engineers are experts in onboard machinery. Based on this expertise, 合法 カジノy are engaged in both offshore and onshore operations.

*2 Assigning 合法 カジノ right person to 合法 カジノ right place
This refers to 合法 カジノ type of career path advocated by NYK. Through job rotations, employees improve work skills so that 合法 カジノy become areas of professional competence underpinning employees’ careers.