Background
The SMMC Bursary of £1,000 is awarded annually to a student at Warsash Maritime Academy (WMA) studying for a higher Certificate of Competency. The money can only be used as payment towards the cost of course fees. When the proposal to award the Bursary was under discussion in 2008 it was decided that it should be open to both deck and engineering students to reflect the fact that membership to the Club is open seafarers from both disciplines. It was also decided that the Bursary should be open to students of any nationality. The Bursary is open to students undertaking the STCW’95 Chief Mate/Master Programme HND Award one year course or the STCW’95 Chief Mate/Master Programme post HND 15 week course or those students undertaking the STCW’95 Second/Chief Engineer Programme (varying duration depending on the number of subjects being taken). WMA advises all eligible students of the availability of the Bursary and provides them with an application form (together with the Terms and Conditions) which the student returns to SMMC if they wish to be considered for the Bursary. Depending on the number of completed application forms received a sift might be undertaken by the SMMC Bursary Committee to decide which applicants should be called for interview. Interviews take place in late April/early May, depending on when the term starts at WMA.
When it was agreed in 2009 that the Bursary should go ahead it was also decided that it should be a for a three year trial period and then reviewed to ascertain whether its objectives had been achieved and whether it should be continued. The first Bursary was awarded in April 2009, the second in April 2010 and the third in May 2011. At the Executive and Finance meeting in July 2011, following discussion it was agreed that the Bursary should continue to operate on a yearly basis, providing that the necessary money is available.
Objectives
The objective of the SMMC is “to maintain and foster social and professional comradeship amongst Master Mariners and other persons having an interest in ships and the sea”. A fundamental argument arising from this is that to support a fellow maritime professional to achieve a higher level of qualification is indeed a good way to foster professional comradeship. This is especially so when that person might be placed in financial difficulties in having to find the necessary funds to attend the course leading to the achievement of the higher qualification he/she is striving for.
Benefits
A number of benefits of the Bursary, for both the student and the SMMC, were identified when it was under discussion in 2008. These were:
For the Student
- Financial assistance to follow a course of study leading to a higher Certificate of Competency
- Mentoring assistance, if required, during the course of study
- Social and professional comradeship from SMMC members
- Achievement of higher office at sea and increased potential for shore employment within the industry
For the SMMC
- Assisting individuals to achieve greater professional achievement at sea and ashore within the maritime industry
- Enhanced profile within the industry
- Remain in touch with today’s seafarers
- Understand today’s maritime training systems better
- Help to attract a younger more professionally active membership to the SMMC
- Closer professional and social relationship with WMA staff and students
These benefits are still considered to be valid.
Response to the Bursary
The response from WMA students to the Bursary has grown since it was first announced in 2009. Initially in 2009 there were only four applications but in 2010 this increased to seven and in 2011 it was ten. All but one application have come from students in the deck discipline and by far the greater number have come from non UK citizens. This is perhaps not surprising when one considers the number of foreign students who come to WMA to study for their certificates of competency. We would of course welcome more applications from engineering students.
Publicity Arising from the Bursary
Through the services of our Marketing/Publicity Officer the awarding of the Bursary over the first three years has been well reported in the media. Articles have appeared in the Southern Daily Echo, Lloyd’s List and The Telegraph (the newsletter of Nautilus). It is understood that articles have also been included in the in-house magazines of the shipping companies of the successful students.
Another form of “publicity” was achieved during the address given by the Principal Chaplain of the Sailors’ Society at the 2011 Shipping Festival Service in Winchester Cathedral. He referred to the Bursary as an example of how the SMMC is helping and supporting young seafarers in their career development.
Bursary Winners
The winner of the first Bursary in 2009 was Matthew Nicholls, a deck officer with Carnival UK, who was attending the Chief Mate/Master Programme post HND 15 week course. He was successful in his examinations. At the time Matthew had been with the company since he first decided on a career at sea. He already had a BA (Hons) in Business Studies and an HND in Nautical Science and as a cadet at WMA he won the Matthew Flinders Cup for Navigational Excellence.
Matt Nicholls receives his certificate from Captain John Mileusnic
In 2010 the winner was Michael Smith, a junior deck officer with Carnival UK who had, through stint of hard work and determination, progressed from originally going to sea as a deck boy on tankers. He was attending the Chief Mate/Master Programme HND Award one year course. Michael was successful in obtaining his certificate and returned to sea in January 2011 with Carnival UK.
Mike Smith receiving the Bursary Certificate from Club Captain, Gerry Cartwright
The 2011 winner was Denzil D’Silva from Goa in India who was attending the Chief Mate/Master Programme HND Award one year course. He successfully completed his studies in July 2011. Denzil originally went to sea with Fal Shipping and after obtaining his Officer of the Watch Certificate in 2006 joined Teekay Shipping and it was his intention to return to sea with that company.
Denzil with certificate and four ex Blue Funnel men: Leece, Thomson, Noble and Grant.
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