Warsash Maritime Academy – Officer Cadet Passing-Out Ceremony, 27th June 2015
Once again, the Warsash Association was invited to attend this prestigious occasion at the O2 Guildhall in Southampton and Prof John Millican and I duly accepted the invitation. The Ceremony followed the same pattern as in previous years and we were able to witness the graduation of 125 Officer Cadets, both Deck and Engine, who had completed their academic training at the Academy. A total of 151 Officer Cadets graduated and 125 were physically present to receive their Awards of either an HND or a Foundation Degree.
As in previous years, the Ceremony was well managed. The Association was given good publicity by the Master of Ceremonies and we were given generous thanks for providing three prizes for the Deck Cadet of the Year, Engineer Cadet of the Year and the Award of Commendation for Individual Achievement.In addition all three Officer Cadets were given a framed certificate from the Association to mark their achievement. In the past a Warsash Association shield had been provided but it was generally agreed that the certificates were a better option and they were warmly received.
This was Andy Hair’s last Passing-Out Ceremony at which he was presiding as Director of the Academy. With the impending reorganisation of the Maritime Department at Southampton Solent University he has decided to take a break and no doubt will be returning to the industry in a different capacity in due course. He spoke about the pride with which the Officer Cadets should feel about completing their training and reiterated that the international shipping industry is short of trained officers – both deck and engine – and stated that there were plenty of employment opportunities in the market place. He then went on to remark that 2016 will be the 70th Anniversary of the start of training at the Warsash campus and mentioned the history of the flotillas of amphibian forces which left the hard at The Rising Sun for the beaches of Normandy to take part in the D-Day Landings in WWII.
Andy Hair was followed by Lord West of Spithead, Chancellor of Southampton Solent University, who gave a very amusing speech which carried the important message of the role of the Merchant Navy and the reliance that we all have, as an island nation, on all things maritime. He underlined the need for rigorous training and compared the lack of back-up for the Merchant Navy watch keeping officer with the support available to his opposite number in a naval ship.
The UK based companies sponsoring Officer Cadets at the WMA were the same as in previous years, for example P&O Ferries, Carnival UK, Princess Cruises, BP Maritimes Services, ShellInternational Shipping Services, Maersk Crewing Ltd and many more. The main agencies which were assisting sponsoring companies which do not have the tonnage to comply with MCA requirements for cadet training or training support systems were Viking Recruitment, Chiltern Marine, Ship Safe Training Group and Anglo Eastern.
This was an enjoyable evening. The Warsash Association was warmly received and I was given an opportunity to speak with the prize winners. I very much hope that they will soon be joining the Association as new members and they were asked to spread the word among their friends and colleagues. I remain convinced that the presentation of prizes for excellence is a good use of Association funds although we may wish to consider an alternative to cash prizes in future.
Roger Holt, Chairman