Digitalisation Needs Good People!

There is a rising digital tide transforming shipping. What though, if there just aren’t the skilled people to make it all work? How we can make sure of the right skills at the right time, in the right people?

Various nations have become to be rather twitchy about the fears of such a digital skills shortage, and what it could mean to the future. Just recently, the UK was warned that it is heading towards a “catastrophic” digital skills shortage “disaster”.

Yes, you read that right, a catastrophic disaster…now ok, there does seem to be some hyperbole at play, but the risks are real even if the level of outrage is a tad manufactured. So, what then about skills in shipping? If those ashore are panicking, should we be too? The facts remain that in industry ashore, demand for AI, cloud and robotics skills is soaring.

However, we hear very little about the demands of maritime. There are the occasional half-hearted pushes to get more people to sea, but there doesn’t seem to the real energetic, attention-grabbing, “too good to turn down” opportunities in a digital maritime world.

We know that the future is going to be all about maritime informatics, that sensors will be driving the actions that we have to take. Where though, are the people? Think of the old nursery rhyme with a church, steeple and people. In our case, here’s the ship, here’s the funnel, open the door and see nobody because they have all gone to other industries.

THROUGH THE BARRIERS

There are apparently four key stumbling blocks when it comes to digital advancement. These are:

• a lack of clearly-defined job roles in certain fields
• a lack of understanding and guidance about potential career paths
• a lack of relatable role models
• a difficulty in making many technical professions seem appealing to young people, especially young women

So, we need to be clear, we need to define the roles fully and properly. We have to make relatable and understandable (and attractive) career ladders, with real people as examples of what they can mean. We also have to make the jobs appeal more widely. No small challenge, but we are sure the shipping industry is up to the task.

This is a real problem for ensuring that all the potential of shipping’s digital transformation can be harnessed and brought to reality. If we do not have the people with skills, knowledge, vision, passion and desire, then we will be fighting a losing battle.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

People are vital to any digital transformation. So how to you find them, get them and keep them?

1. Spotting talent: Never let good people slip away. Once you have found talented, clever, committed people — then make sure the roles are there to allow them to grow their skills and talents. Digital skills can be grown, and as a small acorn and might oak, you have to give the rights space, environment and nourishment.
2. Developing people: Like the old proverb about giving someone a fish versus giving them a fishing rod. Give an industry a person and it will get a job done, give them access to people and well, the sky (or sea) is the limit. Finding the right kinds of people, with inherent digital skills and knowledge and then the potential can be tapped…and as a hint to you (as its subject we will soon be writing about, Codefarers), we see that Dynamic Positioning Operators (DPOs) are wonderfully placed to span the digital divide between ship and shore. But more of that another time.
3. Changing the language: The language of recruitment is hugely important and significant. It may not seem like a deal-breaker, but recruiting language is a powerful tool. The right language and tone have the power to attract applicants or repel them. It matters at every stage of the recruitment process, as we need to capture the eye, appeal to the mind, and fire the heart. So we use inclusive terms, gender-neutral and non-biased, we allude to the right skills, but show what we will give back in return. This is a dance, not a fight!
4. Sell the dream: There is no better industry than shipping, and riding our digital wave is the best place to be at the right time. That is what we have to do, we have to show just how wonderful our industry is, what the rich rewards are like and how there are great opportunities for good people. Sell the dream that they will be selling.
5. Stress the importance: Talented people have a lot of choices, that’s the thing about being good. So, shipping has to stress its credentials. That technology is coming to the fore, but not just that, the fact that shipping is vital to society. Yes, the whole 90% of trade, and the big deal about half the world starving and the other half freezing are cliches. They exist for a reason though, and that is because shipping is a big deal!
6. Swim in other pools: Just as with family gene pools, shipping needs to extend its view of who it should be attracting. It has been said that our industry is the biggest little business in the world. Indeed that often seems true, there are only really two degrees of separation between the majority of maritime professionals. That is great in some ways, but we do need to tap into new people too. So look up and beyond the norm, let’s go find a new seam of talent.
7. Rewards are real: Seafaring is arguably the second oldest profession in the world, the oldest is probably the shipbroker. So, there is real money to be made in this most commercial of adventures. We need to make sure the message gets through to new people, there is gold in them there bills of lading.
8. If work doesn’t feel like work, what is it? Shipping is fun. It is fascinating. It is unique, quirky, old fashioned, but accelerating to the future. There are great people to meet, and (when we are all travelling again) amazing places to visit. The message to newcomers is that work ain’t work if its fun. So roll your sleeves up and get ready for the ride of a lifetime, work in shipping and see the brave new world.
9. Hard and Soft Options: Developing a digitally ready workforce requires assessing shipping’s current talent in terms of both hard and soft skills. Companies must understand their people’s passion for learning and curiosity — key traits that the best digital workers share.
10. No one-size-fits-all journey: Identifying and developing the right people sets the foundation for an agile industry that is ready to adapt and scale. While maritime jobs may change due to automation, creative and critical thinking, thoughtful communication skills and emotional intelligence will be essential strengths to develop, regardless of how technology evolves over the next decade and beyond.