Q & A Article
As part of the partnership between MLA College and THE OM and our work together, I have written a number of articles over the last few months, published in the online crew news platform@superyachtcontent.com. Raising awareness of the opportunity to achieve an operational sustainability degree, whilst working as superyacht crew, in order to broaden their knowledge and employability in their current roles and gain transferable skills for future careers ashore.
The articles have generated a lot of interest and understandably, many questions, which I have been happy to answer. What is the reality of completing a degree whilst working onboard? Is it possible? and what reasons motivate crew to sign up?
So I thought I would talk to Richard, who was the first superyacht yacht crew member to enrol on the program, a lead deckhand (at the time) on an 80m motor yacht, who is now a graduated student of the BSc Sustainable Maritime Operations with MLA College. He was also studying for his OOW modules at the time (now successfully passed). Richard reveals what the realities of studying for a degree qualification at sea is like for those thinking it is a path they may like to take:
What did you sign up? What are your career plans and goals and why is this course part of that plan?
Well I signed up because I don’t see myself in the industry beyond the age of 30 if I am honest, I am 24 now hopefully in the next few months I will have my OOW, and I would like to work as an officer, and it would be great to achieve my Masters. So my thinking is that a Masters qualification combined with an honours degree will be crucial in finding a good opportunity, and by that I really interesting work, rather having to go out of the industry and settle for less. I just want to open up as many opportunities as I can and give myself the best chance of success.
How long does the course last?
It lasts 18 months but if you need to take longer, you can.
What is a BSc Hons Course?
Well BSc stands for Batchelor of Science and the Hons is the research project that you do in the final six months. When you do this course it is the equivalent of stepping into the final year of a three year degree program. I used my foundation degree to gain access, but if you have your OOW/Chief Mate/Masters or engineering CoC’s you can enrol on the course too.
It says the course is flexible but is it really, did it work around your job?
Yes absolutely, if course it is flexible, it has to really doesn’t it with the life we lead? I applied for an extension with evidence from my captain, but to be honest it’s set up with the knowledge that you are a seafarer, they understand the realities of yachting and they will be times when you need to pause or extend your time to complete assignments and there is no problem with that, even without evidence. There are opportunities for me to stop and start or delay studies if needed, at any point in the program, if I felt my workload was too much.
How did you balance your OOW module study with the degree?
As an example I completed my degree this summer in the allotted year but my focus at the moment is my last qualifying modules and my OOW oral exam. So I have deferred the final six months of study till May when I will pick it all up again and complete my research project.
How have you fit the study time around your work, rotation, charter and boss trips?
With study time around work, I personally found that the best solution for me was getting up at 5.30am and put in an hour and a half every day during the week. I don’t do anything at weekends, so I still go out and have fun. When I was on rotation with a module underway, realistically I got up early and put an hour or so in each morning and then that didn’t impact on my day, and I still felt that I was able to do what I wanted. With boss trips and charter, I did absolutely nothing I just let my tutor know I wasn’t going to be able to do anything and I focused on my work and didn’t try and push myself beyond that.
Is it worth the money?
I think so for sure, it’s so much cheaper when you consider the cost of university fees in the UK for a year plus your only expense is the initial fee. No need for accommodation food, fuel, etc or loss of wages.
Did you have to pay upfront for it, or can I pay as I go?
I paid for it up front by choice, but you can pay module by module and in the last few months they have a two thirds of cost student loans available now too.
What was the biggest challenge of completing the course for you?
The biggest challenge for me completely the course was managing it through a busy med season on the boat I am on, we are constantly on standby, and we did a lot of boss trips. I like to get into the swing of things, I like to have a solid chunk of time to get some work done and have a routine going. So with all the boss trips going on and it would be the same with charters, it would ruin my flow. So the nature of the industry was a challenge, making it hard to sustain ideas and the flow of my work.
Was the subject matter interesting and relevant? How relevant is the subject matter to the industry?
Interesting yes, certainly it was and helped open my eyes about aspects of sustainability that I had an idea about but didn’t know anything in detail. The degree is very relevant to yachting especially from the point of view that it is focused on the operational sustainability angle
Did you end up going over subject areas you had already covered in your OOW modules?
Those who have or are studying towards their OOW/Masters will be familiar with MLS, ISPS, MARPOL, ISM and the ships SMS… knowledge of these conventions and codes is very relevant to the course and useful when you are tackling the coursework, but you certainly don’t cover the same ground all over again.
Why do you think doing this degree will help you achieve your career goals?
Having spoken with people who have already made the move to go shore based, the general consensus was that a relevant degree combined with your yacht qualifications and experience makes a big difference to your employability. So I went with that.
What skills have you learnt during the course?
Researching, I was useless at that before I didn’t know what I was doing really in my previous studies. I learnt how to take key pieces of information from articles and books and extract the information and present that with my opinion, it has opened my eyes to so much more than I knew before. I have definitely learnt how to figure things out myself, at this level you’re not spoon fed, there is help available, but they expect you to have an enquiring mind.
Is it hard to study via online distance learning?
No it’s not hard at all, in 2022 we have access to any book in any library in the UK on our pc’s, so I actually found it easier if I am honest then when I used to have to go into libraries and study. I like the fact I can study when I want, and the support is their if I need it.
Is maritime operational sustainability an important issue to you?
Yes I am not a tree hugger, but I do care about the environment, we have we have a sea bin onboard that we use, but to honest it is more a study of how we can develop sustainability in the everyday operation of the industry and that is important to me and its direct implications that I can take back to my job and implement in my day to role.
The degree includes a final project, what subject are you/have you going to be tackling?
I will be studying Crew mental health particularly crew after Covid It something that has impacted me personally and my friends and particularly crew like me who were working away from home for ten months at a time at the height of Covid, it certainly has had a lasting effect. It’s a big subject and there will be lots of information to access online as well as my own research and feedback from fellow crew, so I hope that what I produce has some use.
Did you have an academic background before coming into yachting?
It depends on what you call academic, I had three A levels before I came into yachting and studied a foundation degree whilst I was in my yacht cadetship, but I certainly wouldn’t call myself academic. I am hard working and focused, I think that has been more valuable to me than previous study.
A batchelors of science degree? is it too maths based?
Not at all, I am useless at maths and have found it very manageable. I would also suggest choosing modules which play to your strengths, for example, Ocean Met is more science/maths based than the others. Does the lack of published literature and research unique to the superyacht sector cause an issue?
No…reports and essays I have written asking for comparisons between sectors have allowed me to use superyacht magazine, reports from other yachties and well as my own experience for my claims