This guide explains five key ways we help essential workers and crew in the marine industry from their first steps as a young cadet, through to top positions onboard vessels as officers, crew, and engineers.
As a trusted supply partner to the marine industry, we’re always there for organisations and their workers. Our expertise puts us in a position to help with anything - from sustainable uniform to the development of new protective clothing and equipment when facing a unique safety risk.
But this partnership starts at the beginning of the journey when cadets are first sponsored by an organisation to go to college. In the marine industry there can be numerous operators and organisations, representing a large array of sea going vessels including cargo ships and tankers, cruise ships and ferries.
Here’s five ways we help cadets on their journey to being a fully-fledged seafarers and mariners...
There are thousands of potential cadets that need the support of a trusted PPE expert. These cadets go on to take sought-after and crucial roles in the marine industry, including engineers, deck officers, hotel and catering, and others. And it’s equally vital that we are there from the start.
Organisations sponsor cadets for the entire duration of their course, so our role is to provide for the cadets throughout that time. This includes delivering garments that are branded to the organisation, such as uniforms, jackets, trousers, t-shirts, caps, mess-jackets, workwear, and safety wear.
We are often in direct contact with the cadets themselves, building long term relationships that last throughout their course to when they graduate. Cadets may even have their own login to our flexible CtrlCloud online ordering platform, which they can use to manage their orders.
As a safety expert and supplier of PPE and safety equipment, we recognise that cadets can be trained to deal with and work in dangerous environments. This includes working in or near water, fire hazards, confined spaces, and working with very specialised equipment with its own set of risks.
It’s important that the families of cadets know that they are safe at sea during what can be three years full training. That’s why we provide end-to-end safety considerations whilst also adhering to the quality expected for uniforms traditionally worn in maritime operations.
Building trust happens at all levels throughout the cadet’s journey. They need to know they can talk to us directly whenever they need to and that we will find the answer. This may include a cadet having issues with PPE requirements, or a cadet needing a specification change on their garment.
Supplying is just one part of being a partner. We also support organisations and their cadets with full cost of ownership and cost-in-use analysis, as well as help with consolidating and rationalising orders. We help in ways you wouldn’t expect from a supply partner, using decades of experience and industry knowledge.
We recognise that the uniform used by cadets at college is different from sea going uniforms, with its own set of specifications. As part of our service, we can brand these college uniforms, such as jackets, trousers, shirts, on behalf of the organisation and ensure their cadets get them.
To be a truly comprehensive supplier we need to have both our broad capabilities and a wide scope of partners and manufacturers ready to work with directly. This helps us find all the right solutions quickly and efficiently no matter when or where on the cadetship course they are.
The Merchant Navy prides itself on traditional dress. It holds uniforms especially at a high standard within its ranks. Tradition is important to the industry, which is why we take great care to provide high quality uniforms on-time and in-full whilst covering all end-to-end uniform requirements.
Our range of solutions reaches across the whole Merchant Navy. Not only do we protect cadets with the right PPE and equipment when facing dangers, but we also provide high quality professional uniforms. We understand that looking smart and professional is a top requirement.
We can also provide cadets with these high-quality branded uniforms and other garments at short notice, by using our specialised in-house badging service. Finding a supplier than can remain flexible and deliver without delay is important in an industry that has a tradition of setting sail promptly.
We work with organisations such as Carnival UK, Northern Marine, P&O Ferries, and Irish Ferries, supporting them with advice, services, and solutions that constantly demonstrate our breadth of capability that consistently goes beyond being just a PPE supplier.
We need to support their cadets with whatever they need, wherever in the world they might be. We have the scale and scope to take on anything at any time, no matter the location. This is important if the safety needs of cadets are changing quickly, and they need the right product sent to them.
Some suppliers just don’t have the scale and scope to be able to provide every aspect of support. We’re able to give cadets and the organisations the peace of mind to know that they can get on with their training, instead of spending valuable time looking for the right PPE and equipment.
We understand how to deal with common challenges for cadets and we’ll be there at their side throughout their journey from cadet to captain. We know how to find the right sizes using fitting sessions, and ensure they have an open and efficient line of communication with their supply partner if they need to use it.
Want to learn more about our marine support? Fill out the contact form below or call us on 01202 718000.
