Cruise Vessels on the look-out to recruit Mauritian workers

More and more cruise vessels are calling at our harbour to bring more visitors to our island. As time goes by, cruise organisers have come to understand that our workforce represents various qualities and thus are of greater use on board.

In this context, a few recruiting agents have opened offices and are proceeding in the training of the necessary workforce. One of them is G2ACAMAS.  Waheeda Serally, Business Development & Marketing Manager of G2ACAMAS, tells us more of this new perspective in employment facilities for young Mauritians.

Mauritian workers are appreciated for their compassion, good personality, hard work and sense of responsibility. Mauritians are also known to be resourceful and autonomous on board. Our bilingualism is also a considerable advantage plus the fact that the Visa processing for Mauritians for Europe and USA is done quickly. Our aim at G2ACAMAS is to train people who wish to pursue a career in the cruise industry.

Since 2016, the academy has teamed up with CSCS International Manning Ltd, one of the most important recruiters for hotel and cruise in Mauritius, to launch this unique course in Hotel and Cruise. We have trained since last year around 250 Mauritians in the following fields: Culinary Skills, Bar Service, Restaurant Service and Housekeeping with on-the-job-training to help students develop their skills.

Cruise ships’ recruiters and Cruise lines regularly choose from our pool of students to work on their respective vessels. One-to-one interviews are conducted at the academy to select future candidates to work on those ships. Around 40 of our students have just been offered their letter of offer from prestigious cruise companies, such as the Royal Caribbean International Ltd and the Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd to work on their ships.

Some students have already left the country, while others will be leaving soon for a 6-month contract. Mauritian workers benefit from this unique work experience that represents a bonus on their CV. Our business is more focused towards training for the cruise line staff. But, in my opinion, Costa Croisière does offer this route already in its package but the market for the Indian Ocean remains niche compared to the Mediterranean and the Pacific.

The cruise business not only benefits the tourism industry, which is definitely an advantage to our country with the amount of cruise ships stopping at our harbour nowadays, but also the fact that we are training for the cruise industry is considered as the fastest-growing category in the leisure travel market.  The different recruiters that we have in Mauritius are working towards this direction and our Mauritian labour is developing around this same sector in order to cater for the cruise industry needs.

Latest reports show that records were broken globally in 2016, with 24,2 million passengers cruising worldwide. The number of passengers travelling worldwide will continue to grow as cruise ships’ facilities and services (new destinations, new ship designs, new and diverse on-board amenities, etc), continue to exceed the expectations of a growing and more and more demanding population of travellers. The industry estimates that 25,3 million will cruise globally in 2017.

The future of cruise business is growing fast in the world as each cruise company continues to build new vessels with modern amenities and attractive services. As per information that we have from our recruiter and partner Mr Chandra Seepaul from CSCS manning, the aim of major cruise lines is to recruit 60,000 staff workers by December 2018 with 20 new cruise ships being built, which will welcome 1,500 staff workers per ship and approximately 6,000 to 7,000 passengers onboard.

Our recruiters are requesting more students to be trained as from now to be able to fill the gap, as they have huge commitments towards the international cruise lines.
September last, during the Royal Caribbean interview, G2ACamas was solicited to train more than 200 students for their next visit, which is scheduled approximately by September 2018. This is the aim of the G2ACAMAS today.

 “The Cruise industry undeniably generates economic benefits”

What is expected of new recruits- physical fitness, educational qualifications and willingness to take up challenges?
They are expected to be professional, to follow the rules and regulations, and so on. They have to be physically fit, as the hours of work on board can be long and ardous. The cruise vessels carry thousands of passengers and the workers have to cope with this demanding working environment. A cruise ship is out on sea for days, requiring that an employee be physically fit, as there are no hospitals nearby in case of continued sickness. The minimum education background required is Form IV for the academic part and any technical qualification is a plus. New recruits are also ambassadors of the academy and the country; therefore they must provide an exemplary performance. 

How far will it help the economy?
The Cruise industry undeniably generates economic and other related benefits to the destinations. Tourists’ expenditures generate revenue for the country. I definitely think that more cruise ships will be visiting Mauritius, as the destination is becoming more and more appreciated and known to the outside world.