On Friday, June 6, 2024, PROJECT CONNECT held its fourth ‘νιάτα ψηλά’ Youth empowerment series CONFERENCE, this time at the POSIDONIA 2024, in the Seminar Room 2A of the Metropolitan Expo Center, in Athens, Greece. This session was especially organized for an exceptional group of young students, namely those who want to be captains and engineers from the Adopt a Ship program run by PROJECT CONNECT.
Thirty-seven nautical high school students, their teachers and ten older students from the national technical school of Greece were given the opportunity to converse with shipping people about their livelihood prospects in the industry of their choice, seafaring and naval architects.
The conference entitled, “Enhancing youth employability. Preparing the young professionals-in-the-making for their first job in shipping, (at shore or ashore)”, moderated by PROJECT CONNECT’s Director and Fuels sales business owner, Ms. Irene Notias, commenced the 1.45 minute session with a video created by the Union of Greek Shipowners: Shipping Moves the World” (showed what the world would be like without Ships). Viewed for the first time by this age group, the speakers had a great entry to discuss what is expected of the future generation of seafarers and shore personnel by the industry movers themselves.
Ms. Notias expressed that Project Connect works for their future because it cares for the teens to grow up to have jobs for the sake of the Greek family and economy’s prosperity and that they have a duty to be present and available to the demands.
This project indeed brings great value to the industry by running its programs ADOPT a SHIP and WORK-STUDY, with its online CV Platform directly connecting new young workforce to the shipping industry HR departments and at same time connecting vessels to classrooms so pupils from early age, can be aware of the importance of Seafarers and the shipping industry jobs they can aspire to hold one day.
The speakers were, Chairman of P. CONNECT and Co-CEO Seaven Tankers and Seaven Dry, Nicholas Tsalamanios, John Xylas, P.Connect, Founder Member, CEO, Ariston Navigation, Treasurer, Union of Greek Shipowners, Vasilis Mouyis, Chartering Manager, Doric Shipbrokers, member Andros Maritime Association, Capt. Thanassis Paraskevopoulos, Operations Dept, Common Progress Compania Naviera S.A., Gregory Spourdalakis, Managing Director, Columbia Shipmanagement and Capt. Andreas Vourekas, Crew Manager, Carras Hellas S.A. who all provided answers to the teens questions and mentioned that it is important that they build good characters besides skills.
Also, present were P. CONNECT’s Educators Consultant, Dr Adamantia Spanaka who provided the Adopt a Ship program amazing final results of this school year, and shipowner members, Empire Chemical Tanker Holdings’ Leonidas Polemis, Anna Polemis, and daughter, Nafsika L. Polemis who functioned as the young photographer, (Katerina Nomikou who was the official photographer).
FOS, breakthrough coaching’s Life coach, Michalis Fragkiadakis, was onboard. This session facilitated the request of the EPAL teachers for their students to meet and understand better the shipping industry demands, because due to the Adopt a Ship program these students have expressed their confidence that they will become captains and engineers. Shipping company, Common Progress Compania Naviera sponsored the event’s LIVE STREAMING that gave the chance to the nationwide thirty-six classes (of 609 EPAL students) and their teachers who could not travel so far, to participate from a distance with questions. The ANDROS MARITIME ASSOCIATION sponsored the Andros EPAL School teachers and students transportation costs from the port to airport and return. Doric Shipbrokers S.A. for the REFRESHMENTS
Seaven Tankers and Seaven Dry sponsored the Posidonia Booth number 2544 in Aisle 2 & Conference Room was sponsored by POSIDONIA Organizers on the occasion of the YOUTH EDUCATION theme this year.
Starbulk’s Petros Pappas could not make the event however he sponsored the SAFETY-FIRST PROJECT CONNECT T-SHIRTS, and Panama Ship agents Stamatis Angelicoussis, Crossroads Panama, sponsored, the pens.
Mr. John Xylas, Board Member and Treasurer for UGS, provided the SHIPPING MOVES THE WORLD video and became the first Founder Member, since PROJECT CONNECT’s inception as an NPO in May 2015.
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