Crown Maritime Academy has alleged that students coming out of training institutions find it difficult to get placement for their Industrial Training (IT) because maritime industry employers don't want to pay a token for their transportation.
Registrar of the academy, Mr. Gabriel Eto at an industry event organised by the Economic Growth Summit in Lagos last week, lamented that maritime education is not recognised as a part of the Nigerian maritime industry, meanwhile it is the bedrock of the industry.
Mr. Eto argued that in other countries, the maritime sector development is anchored on the maritime education system of the country.
He lamented that such nations maritime is developed based on talent and innovation from the various academies, while in Nigeria; emphasis is placed on politics and quota system.
He said "If you are talking about skilled manpower, it is from maritime education, if you are talking about innovation, it is from the maritime education, so there is a need for the maritime education sector to be seen as a partner in progress with the mainstream maritime industry"
"There is no collaboration between the maritime sector and the maritime education sector, this is why we are suffering in the industry, our students hardly get a place to so their IT. Today if you ask us to mention the subunits of the maritime sector, you will not hear the maritime education unit, we are treated as outsiders and it is very unfortunate"
"Students don't have a place to run their IT , the employers are always scared of paying the students, not even an allowance to transport themselves to work and yet the students are going to be productive, they find them useful and yet they cannot help them with little money to pay their transport, it is not encouraging"
" They want them to work for free, even some that are ready to work for free are not even allowed, they feel that they have an over bloated workforce, so they don't want any other person" , he lamented.
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