The 2nd Annual Dissemination and Technical Workshop of the Sea of Experience project took place on Friday 10th of December 2021 via remote teleconference. The Dissemination Workshop was initiated by a welcoming video from the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, Mr. Vasilios Dimitriades, and an introduction from Associate Professor Nikolaos Ventikos, NTUA. The overview of the Sea of Experience project was presented by Mr. Alexandros Rammos from NTUA. Next, each key element, area of focus, and the outputs of SoE were described. Ms. Antri Theodorou from CCCI, covered in a comprehensive way what is going on at a regional level, as an overview of the blue sector as well as issues concerning job demand and future projections, blue skills, and its challenges. In addition, the presentation focus on the future of blue professions as well as the challenges faced in the market. The significant role of vocational education and training, mainly in the maritime industry, was highlighted, as well as the training procedures, needs, and methods available. Concluding, the challenges of vocational education and training, particularly during the pandemic, and the importance of synergies between the quadruple helix stakeholders was highlighted.
Mr. Zacharias Siokouros from CMMI, presented the challenges faced in the blue sector with regard to research and innovation. He covered in a comprehensive manner the role of research, development, and technology in the shipping industry and the challenges faced in the blue market. Dr. Emmanuel Nikolaidis from Premium Consulting presented the challenges for a sustainable blue economy in the EU (shown in Figure 7). This presentation fuelled the discussion on sustainability goals within the shipping industry and how marine-based and marine-related activities are linked to the sustainability of the blue sector. To conclude the Dissemination Workshop, Ms. Theano Zagkliveri from NTUA, presented the next steps of the project, such as the development and utilization of the sharing-pooling platform, the development of 360o videos, and the planning of the upcoming technical workshops and competitions, encouraging the participation of the audience in future events.
In the second (technical) part of the workshop, the 360o & VR videos were presented by Mr. Alexandros Rammos and Mrs Monica Andreou. The videos were focused on the selected professions of the project and illustrated the working environment of each profession. Finally, Mr George Magos from the University of Cyprus presented the online platform of the University Liaison Offices. The technical characteristics of the platform were highlighted as the procedure of how a company can enroll.