MOTIVATING PEOPLE TO LEARN

The stick being company rules which require people to train and apply penalties if they do not. The carrot is a system of encouragement for people to learn and rewards them for good performance. The best company training contains a mixture of both.

A very useful training package for people involved in implementing shipboard training is the following:

MANAGEMENT FOR SEAFARERS SERIES
PART FIVE - MOTIVATING INDIVIDUALS

This module examines the issues involved in dealing with individuals. Motivation and delegation are discussed and their importance emphasised. The video considers the place of personal appraisals. Under STCW, officers will be required to take part in the assessment of their subordinates. The video makes the point that these should be two-way discussions.

Personal appraisals are a useful tool in career guidance and determining training requirements. The study guide gives an interesting resume of the theories of motivation and explores the issue of coaching and developing individuals.

RULES

The book “Training and Assessment on Board” was written to help companies get the best out of their investment in training. It accompanies Videotel libraries and gives details on how to create a company policy, allocate responsibilities and resources, assess starting points, progress and completion of training, how to deliver training and how to involve and motivate trainees. Some companies use it as a basis for planning their company training.
The ultimate in Videotel support for continuing competency is CCM or contact Milind Karkhanis.

ENCOURAGEMENT

Most companies that have a company newsletter, have a good safety culture on board. If that newsletter highlights training issues, even better. Such a newsletter might contain items such as:

• Video (or DVD) of the month highlighting an important safety topic.
• Lessons from casualties or near misses.
• Reports on the 5 or 10 most viewed videos or DVDs.
• List of the best ships for recorded training sessions (and a list of the worst one or two ships!)
• Rewards or Awards for the best performance.
• Company statistics on the use being made of the training facilities on board.

If you would like more help in implementing these policies, Videotel would be pleased to advise.