Here are some real life examples of how Precious Associates has successfully assisted shipping companies in key areas:

Personal Skills Training within Shipping Companies

Interview Skills:

Situation: Shipping client with several new vessels needed to recruit Officers with the appropriate skills and experience.

Problem: Inconsistent interviewing skills led to some poor decisions being made.

Solution: Design and run competence based interviewing training at the client’s office for all people involved in the process.

Coaching Skills:

Situation: A tanker company who were changing the role of Senior Officers on vessels in their fleet to include responsibility for skills development.

Problem: Several of the people involved in the proposed change did not have the required skills to take on the new responsibilities and there was concern about inconsistent application of the new approach.

Solution: Design a tailored course in Coaching Skills delivered at the client’s offices for all the people involved. The training included practice coaching sessions and identifying how coaching would fit with other performance management systems already used by the company.

Management Development Training within Shipping Companies

Introduction to Management

Situation: Client with higher than normal turnover at Junior Officer level.

Problem: Several Officers who were new to the management role were technically competent, but unfamiliar with the people management elements.

Solution: Design a two day Introduction to Management course based on the competences agreed with the client and delivered on their premises.

Junior Officer Development

Situation: Tanker Company expanding their fleet and increasing the number of Junior Officers.

Problem: Turnover in certain ranks was increasing, causing problems with maintaining skills levels and in securing the supply of high quality applicants for Senior positions in the fleet.

Solution: Design and deliver Junior Officer Development programme for over 100 Officers in India, Philippines and Singapore as part of an integrated programme that enhanced skills and retention of Officers.

Team Reviews within Shipping Companies

Management Team

Situation: A newly reorganised ship management company.

Problem: A very large management team. Many meetings being called to discuss a wide range of issues. Little ownership of Company goals by some Managers.

Solution: An initial assessment of the team using structured interviews, followed by a series of team workshops focussed on the key areas identified during the assessment (Team purpose, Decision making, Personal style etc). These ran over an eighteen month period alongside an internal reorganisation to redesign the size and operation of the team.

Management Team Planning

Situation: Small UK based shipping company.

Problem: The Management Team was composed of people who were experts in their own fields, but the quality of overall company goal setting and planning was poor, with little ownership or oversight of team decisions.

Solution: Develop with a team an agreed planning system and facilitate a series of management meetings to implement the process. The system formed the basis of their strategic and business planning process.