>Press Releases Home > Publications and press releases > Press Releases Sea-going Training Incentive Scheme cadets receive award The Permanent Secretary for Economic Development, Ms Sandra Lee, today (June 24) presented cheques to six cadets who joined the Sea-going Training Incentive Scheme and completed their employment contracts. Speaking at the cheque presentation ceremony, Ms Lee congratulated the cadets, particularly the five engineer cadets who had completed their cadetship training which qualified them for the Class 3 examination.  She also thanked the maritime industry, especially the employers of these cadets, for their enthusiastic support of the scheme.  "With a drastic drop over the past decade in the number of young people embarking on a sea-going career, the port and maritime industries have been facing an acute shortage of local ex-seagoing professionals capable of filling shore-based positions,"  Ms Lee said.  "To alleviate the shortage, the Government, with the full support of the Hong Kong Maritime Industry Council, launched the Sea-going Training Incentive Scheme in July, 2004." The scheme, with an allocation of $9 million from the Government, provides financial incentive for interested people to take up sea-going training as cadets and paves the way for them to become shore-based professionals in the maritime industry. Since the launch of the scheme, the Government has received encouraging response from the community and 32 applications have been approved. "There are some 900 shipping related companies operating in Hong Kong, providing high quality maritime finance, insurance, legal, arbitration, brokerage, ship management, registration and surveying services," Ms Lee said. "I am confident that the job opportunities available in the shipping and maritime sectors will provide a good prospect for youngsters who possess the pre-requisite sea-going experience." The scheme will help enhance the supply of local qualified personnel with sea-going experience to work in the maritime industry. Ms Lee appealed to shipowners to provide more training opportunities for Hong Kong's youngsters so that the shipping industry would be able to attract more new blood. The positive feedback from the Government's recent promotion campaign on the scheme at major maritime education institutions has shown that the number of applicants under the scheme will likely increase in the coming years. The scheme is open for applications all year round.  The incentive will be awarded to successful applicants on a first-come-first-served basis. Those interested are welcome to contact the Seafarers' Certification Section of the Marine Department for details at 2852 4368 or 2852 4362. Application forms are available at the Seafarers' Certification Section office at 3/F, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central or be downloaded from the website of the Marine Department at www.mardep.gov.hk/en/forms/pdf/mo904.rtf. Ends/Friday, June 24, 2005
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