The ITF Seafarers’ Trust, the Marine Transport Workers Union of Ukraine (MTWTU) and Odesa Maritime Academy are delighted to announce the launch of a new initiative to help Ukrainian cadets complete their studies and look to the future.
As part of this joint project, the Trust will pay the cost of training for 32 NU "OMA cadets", MTWTU-members, without the financial means to do it alone. The project includes debt repayment for the 2021-2022 academic year, as well as payment for the coming year. Orphans, children of conscripted seafarers, and children from low-income families are among the beneficiaries of the project.
For many years, Ukraine has held a leading position training maritime personnel for the international labor market, with some of the best shipping companies recruiting Ukrainian cadets and training young and promising seafarers to work on their ships.
Eight months ago, the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to a significant crisis in all areas, including the maritime industry, which had only recently started to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to industry experts, the war, and subsequent martial law in Ukraine has, over the last 8 months, caused a new crisis of crew changes and a sharp shortage of personnel in the international maritime labor market. In addition, the future of cadets in maritime schools is under threat.
The Trust, along with MTWTU are aiming, as far as possible, to prevent and resolve these negative consequences of the current situation in the maritime sector.
In September the Trust and MTWTU launched a project to help cadets of the Kherson State Maritime Academy (KSMA) complete their studies and undergo the necessary seafaring practice.
The next step is the implementation of the project for cadets of the National University "Odesa Maritime Academy".
