Who's navigating? Keeping everybody in the loop

01 Jun 2015 The Navigator

Third officer, Wu Jiaqing discusses how CPD has helped him in his career to date, and gives his thoughts on the importance of always keeping an up-to-date CPD plan close at hand

Name: Wu Jiaqing
Current position: Third officer

What interested you in building a professional career at sea?
When I was young, I used to enjoy watching movies and listening to songs about the sea. So, when I graduated from senior school, I joined the maritime university. I wanted to become a seaman and travel around the world.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I would like to gain lots more experience, meeting different people from different backgrounds. I would also like to work ashore some day.

Which areas of shipping do you think CPD should focus on the most?
Technology, navigation regulations and communication skills are all very important areas.

What do you think are the most effective ways of keeping up-to-date?
I think the most effective tool is the internet. However, if you don’t have access to it, then reading books and magazines is also a good way to go.

How does CPD help professionally?
CPD offers good guidance and helps us plan our career’s future. It encourages us to ‘think outside of the box’ and gives us lifelong learning skills.

What advantages are there to keeping track or recording our CPD activities?
Keeping good records helps us remain aware of our progress and the new things we have learnt. It keeps us constantly updated and demonstrates how we have improved ourselves and our professional knowledge.

Why is CPD such a good personal goal?
In today’s world, we are constantly faced with challenges. Having a CPD plan is necessary to keep focused on our goals and ambitions in the midst of those challenges. The plan should be reviewed regularly as it could be the means to our dreams coming true.

How could the shipping industry better support mariners in their CPD?
The more opportunities a company can give its employees for training, the better it will be for everyone. It opens people’s minds to new ideas

“CPD... ENCOURAGES US TO ‘THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX’ AND GIVES US LIFELONG LEARNING SKILLS”