This week we will turn to the unemployment of youth, education of youth and their inclusion in the marine industry. This topic is supported by CERM within whose project, YOUTH FOR THE YOUTH, we held a webinar on the topic of entrepreneurship and including young people in the marine industry.
We talked about current trends in the field, opportunities for the young and their chances to make a step into the future.
INTRODUCTION
We will start with a little bit of data. Namely, the Blue Economy in the EU generates a bruto value of approximately 500 billion euros a year, which presents a great starting point for a lot of opportunities. Nevertheless, in February 2022 the Croatian Employment Service states there are 32044 unemployed young people by the age of 29. Moreover, Eurostat data shows how Croatia has a high rate of unemployment among young people between 15 and 24 years of age.
Additionally, there is a high rate of NEET’s. NEET’s are unemployed people or not engaging in education, training and/or certification.
THE YOUTH
The Youth in Croatia has an opportunity for education and growth, but would additionally benefit from governmental and industry support. Numerous subsidies for newly employed people often don’t cover every aspect of the industry.
The marine industry itself poses a partial solution, by employing people with educational backgrounds in boatbuilding, mechanical and electrical engineering, physics, computer science, economics, finance, management, accounting, logistics, tourism, but also sustainability.
Young people in the segments of mechanical and/or electrical engineering can work on a lot of different projects in boatbuilding, engine development, but also alternative propulsion projects.
Additionally, every company in the marine industry needs a backbone in the form of a back office, where young (under)graduates of management, economics, finance, accounting and similar may find their spot.
Moreover, computer science allows working on different technological innovations, but also applications which allow monitoring and control of the vessel itself.
Lastly, chartering is a very important branch of nautical tourism which doesn’t only exist during the summer, but also requires a lot of preparation beforehand and employs young people from a lot of different positions.
CONCLUSION
There are countless opportunities which don’t need to be limited to solely field work or office work. Young people can find work in one of the existing niches, but also develop something new on their own as well. As any industry nowadays, marine is under the influence of digitalization and transferring to a more sustainable way of work. Young people are here to lead the transition in using different softwares, improving customer relationships and engaging via social media. To conclude, the young can find a spot for themselves or create a new one.