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their focus for chosen careers, post-graduation? The present freshman and sopho- more classes show a signiÞ cant in- crease in selecting the USCG license programs. This is in part due to in- creased opportunities in brown wa- ter and off shore exploration. The numbers of senior mate candidates stands at 65 while the freshman class has 94. A total of 78 marine engineer candidates in our senior class contrast sharply to the freshman class total of 161. For some cadets, the challenge is the license exam at the end of four years of arduous study which sends a signal to employers that they have met a challenge that others may never achieve in their working career. We know that engineers are more likely to come ashore earlier in their career due to highly transferable skills, but employers want those who know how to be part of a team and play by a pre- scribed set of rules. We are Þ nding graduates after shipping being em-ployed by municipal, state and federal agencies because of their work ethic. National Defense contractors Þ nd our graduates employable due to the ability to be decisive and resourceful while spending long periods of time away from home. We are initiating a study to measure to see where gradu- ates are; two and Þ ve years out and see what path they opted to get there. Inland companies long complained that maritime academy graduates are poorly prepared for inland/ towing careers. What are you do- ing to improve the performance of these graduates when they Þ rst enter the workforce? By interacting with the inland in- dustry, the academy has gotten a much better understanding of the employerÕs needs and the knowledge required of our graduates. At the same time, employers have gotten a much better www.marinelink.com MN October2013 Layout 1-17.indd 15MN October2013 Layout 1-17.indd 1510/2/2013 9:48:11 AM10/2/2013 9:48:11 AM