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Ref. No. 112
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Mar. 12, 2002 |
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Marine Institute drumming up business and employment opportunities at Seatrade Convention |
For the second year in a row, representatives of Memorial University's
Fisheries and Marine Institute have travelled to Miami, Florida, to attend
one of the biggest events organized by the cruise ship industry. The aim of
the visit is to seek job placements for current students and graduates of
MI's nautical science and marine engineering programs.
The Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention, taking place in Miami from
March 11-15, 2002, is a gathering of over 1,000 owners and operators from
97 different companies operating in the cruise industry.
Darlene Foote, MI placement officer, and Kim Thornhill, educational
marketing co-ordinator, are meeting with a number of cruise industry
executives during a series of meetings scheduled for the week. MI's
participation at this convention grew out of the expansion of MI's marine
engineering and nautical science program as well as the cruise industry's
growing demand for high-quality seafarers from countries such as Canada.
In addition to securing specific study and work placements for students and
graduates, Ms. Foote and Ms. Thornhill will also be generally promoting the
MI's
educational capabilities to this fast-growing segment of the marine sector.
Les O'Reilly, executive director of the Marine Institute, noted that the
Seatrade Convention presents an important opportunity for the Marine
Institute and for the province. "The cruise ship industry is an important
sector for employment for our cadets and graduates," Mr. O'Reilly said. "By
being present at this event we hope to increase the
number of graduates from the Marine Institute who are working on cruise
ships; an enhanced presence in that industry will serve to further
strengthen the relationships that exist between the institute and the
cruise shipping companies. Our placement initiatives will also complement
the work being done by the City of St. John's and the province to make our
province a cruise stop."
The Marine Institute has previously placed navigation and engineering
cadets and officers with cruise ship companies such as Royal Caribbean
International, Princess Cruises and Commodore Cruise Lines.
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For further information, please contact Ivan Muzychka, manager, Memorial
University News Service, 737-8665.
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