George Xiradakis, president of the Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping and founder and CEO of XRTC Business Consultants, speaks to “Fair Winds and Following Seas” on Voice of Greece.
The discussion focuses on the decline in admission scores for Greece’s Merchant Marine Academies in this year’s Panhellenic examinations.
“Despite the important initiatives, awareness campaigns and investment of time and resources aimed at attracting young people to a maritime career, top-performing students, with very few exceptions, continue to choose different paths,” Mr. Xiradakis says. “We all bear some responsibility: the state, the shipping community, institutions, businesses and all of us who present the profession to the younger generation. We need to address this.”
He concludes with an appeal: “We Greeks must remain world leaders in shipping. We need to find ways to attract young people to the wonderful world of Greek shipping, an industry that requires excellence and respect.”