Page 50: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q3 2014)

Recruitment Recruitment Five Minutes with Francis W. Cunningham Deputy Director CIVMAR Manpower & Personnel, Military Sealift CommandMaritime leaders cite ? nding and keeping quali ed talent? as their top challenge. Is this the same for MSC, and if so, what is your strategy to  nd and keep the people you want? Yes, we have similar challenge particularly in the en- gineering and deck ofÞ cer positions. These are very skilled and talented individuals, thus are highly desirable in the mar- ket place. MSC offers long careers and pays very well as well as excellent job security and beneÞ ts. Our overall retention rate is 93%, however in the ofÞ cer positions this is more like 90%. So we work hard to over recruit at the ofÞ cer entry level positions and train individuals to move up quickly. When ?selling? MSC careers to prospective mariners, what would you say are the organization?s best qualities and draw- ing power? MSC offers a variety of ships, a career, job security and the best beneÞ ts any employer can offer. We currently operate 52 civil service mariner-crewed ships of multiple types and classes. This allows individuals to learn different engineering plants, ship operations and grow in their career. MSC vessels operate worldwide and stay in port much longer than commercial ships. This allows mariners to go ashore and actually see the world. Give us a quick snapshot of the make-up of MSC mariners. MSC currently employs approximately 5,500 civil service mariners. (The supplied graphic to the right provides numbers and demographics.) How many of your of cers emanate from the U.S. state and federal maritime academies? Approximately 80%; we have about 900 ofÞ cers. What?s your retention rate? On deck? In the engineroom? Of-  cers vs. crew? What can you do to improve those numbers and performance? Retention overall is 93%, lower in the ofÞ cer rank- ings (90%). We are working more on improved strategies in the ofÞ cer ratings as these are critical to operating the ships safely. Working with individuals to assign them to desired vessels, work on new ship construction projects, and more training op- portunities. Timely reliefs is the most crucial area we work to ensure individual get home for family events and well-earned vacation. This is challenging in peak seasons such as summer and holidays but one of required areas to improve on. By Greg Trauthwein The process to Þ nd, train and retain top quality personnel for duty ashore and aß oat is the number one challenge for maritime organizations globally. Mili- tary Sealift Command, one of the premiere employers in this industry, is no exception. Frank Cunningham, MSC?s Deputy Director CIVMAR Manpower & Personnel, shares his insights with MarPro on accomplishing the mission. 50 | Maritime Professional | 3Q 201450-63 Q3 MP2014.indd 5050-63 Q3 MP2014.indd 508/13/2014 3:16:24 PM8/13/2014 3:16:24 PM