Posted on: 20 November 2015
The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, the maritime industry’s only body dedicated to professional education, has won the BIMCO Education and Training Award 2015.
The Institute scooped the award in recognition of its investment in new learning, growth in student and graduate numbers and innovative teaching techniques.
In 2014 the Institute took the decision to double its examination programme and for the first time organised two series of exams inside 12 months. In the first year, more than 4,000 students sat some 6,000 exams in more than 100 exam centres around the world.
In September 2015, the Institute was selected to take part in the International Maritime Organization’s World Maritime Day programme, sharing the message about the vital role of shipping in delivering goods and services around the world with primary school students.
Institute Director Julie Lithgow accepted the award in Hamburg: “I’m thrilled to receive this award on behalf of all the students and members of the Institute past and present. Institute students are a privilege to work with. They are exactly what our industry needs – smart, courageous knowledge seekers who have invested in obtaining professional qualifications and will in turn will support learning by giving their time to the next generation of students.”
For over 100 years, the Institute has occupied a critical position in the industry’s maritime education arena. Its founding principle – to make education and qualification as accessible as possible – means that Institute members subsidise exams for students who would otherwise have no access to maritime qualifications.
BIMCO Deputy Secretary General Michael Lund explained the judging panel’s decision: “BIMCO felt this award was deserved by the Institute because of its unique role; providing global, professional shipping qualifications, holding all students to an equally high standard, but ensuring no one is left behind.”
The Institute plays a unique role in the shipping industry, with deep roots in the City of London and a diverse membership in established and emerging maritime centres. Students anywhere in the world can sit its exams with the examination centre and an invigilator provided by the Institute.
