Frederick maritime students get soft skills training

Frederick University has joined forces with Maravilhosa, the Limassol-based consultancy helping organisations build high-performing teams, to introduce students to the labour market and career challenges.

For the third year, Maravilhosa’s founder and lead-trainer Muriel Matta provided ‘soft skills’ training to Frederick’s students of the Department of Maritime Transport and Commerce (DMTC).

The interactive seminar’s objective was to inform students about the various workplace and career challenges and equip them with practical skills to develop their communication and teamwork.

“Soft skills are not generally taught to students, and therefore this initiative is an important one in terms of training and development at the early stages of the young generation’s professional path,” said Matta, an active HR advisor, coach, trainer and facilitator.

“The seminar aimed to combine the university’s need to assist students, so the start of their career and work experience is a successful one, while also meeting the demands of the industry.”

The Department of Maritime Transport and Commerce provides undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional programmes to prepare students to meet the future in maritime and commerce leadership roles.

Two training programmes at Frederick’s Cyprus Marine Technology Academy (CyMarTA) have been approved by the Shipping Deputy Ministry (SDM) for successful candidates to obtain their Engineering Officer of the Watch (EOOW), second and Chief Engineer’s Certificates of Competency Licences (Merchant Navy).

Both licences are required by national and international regulations for engineers to serve as sea-going Engineer Officers on ships.

They are highly regarded as a qualification requirement to work shore-side in the management level of shipping companies.

The programmes are supported by the Department of Maritime Transport and Commerce (Limassol) and the Department of Mechanical Engineering (Nicosia) of Frederick University. They include training in specialised workshops and on-board training on ships.