FACTORS RELATED TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF BANGLADESHI MARINERS

Bangladesh is traditionally a maritime nation having a long tradition of producing sound and skilled maritime professionals. However, in recent times Bangladesh started falling behind her contemporaries in creating qualified seafarer for occupying global seafaring job opportunities. There is a need to identify the factors related to the development of maritime professionals. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to explore the factors which are important for the development of the maritime professionals in Bangladesh. Six factors were extracted through the factor analysis. The factor solution presents the challenges faced by Bangladeshi mariners. The government needs to actively address the identified issues. Bangladesh has a good opportunity to expand its share in the maritime labor market meeting international standards as talent is abundant in this highly populated country. The paper concludes by providing the suggestive measure to overcome the challenges faced by Bangladeshi maritime professionals.