SMART Institute Conference Focuses on Skilled Professionals
After 20 days offshore, Colton Hendrick and Blake Snapp are back on land, preparing for their next journey out on the water as new maritime interns with Higman Marine Services. And they love it. "It can be tough work at times, but the beauty is seeing the sun rise and set each day," said Snapp. Plus, the money and job security are incentives as well. Both Snapp and Hendrick stand to earn approximately $100,000 by the fifth year of their first maritime job. Also, with many fellow mariners talking about upcoming retirement, the idea of becoming captains isn't far-fetched either, especially when they will hold associate degrees in maritime technology.
Maritime Training Leads to Career Opportunities
With just a fraction of the maritime workforce younger than 25 years of age, the industry looks to garner more interest for jobs up for grabs as the nation's largest port for imports anticipates an overwhelming amount of traffic. Industry training demands across the Houston region are rising in preparation for the 2014 expansion of the Panama Canal. With less than 1 percent of the workforce barely reaching their mid 20s, according to a WorkBoat magazine study, and more than half of workers nearing retirement age, the need to certify more mariners becomes increasingly apparent. “We must get the next generation interested in the many careers maritime has to offer,” said Capt.
Higman Marine Grows:
Innovation and New Building are Key Movers for this Gulf Coast Bulk Transportation Provider. Gordie Keenan, Higman's vice president of training told MarineNews in January, “We have 54 inland towboats, the majority of which are rated at 2,000 horse power, and 116 inland tank barges. Today our vessels are bigger with more horsepower, pushing more barrels, than ten years ago.” The company carries a myriad of crude oils and refined products for its clients on a fleet of barges and inland towboats that has doubled in number over the last ten years.
