Cast off into a promising future. We offer students, trainees and new employees numerous paths into the cruise industry. Our training programs all take a clearly practical approach to learning, whether by means of a period working on board or the latest training methods. That means we are already preparing our new employees to take on responsibility – and grow with us.
Training and studying at AIDA are far removed from dry theory. Right from the start, we involve our new talent in the day to day work on board our cruise ships. Since 2011, we have also been offering all nautical and technical trainees and students a basic maritime training course on the three-master training ship, the "Grossherzogin Elisabeth". In the two to four week tours of duty on this three-master, affectionately known as “Lissi”, students and trainees acquire important knowledge and skills in the areas of navigation, map reading, maritime signaling, weather observation and sailing. Maritime lecturers and the ship’s permanent crew furnish our young talent with the know-how they need to get off to a flying start from day one, once they begin training on board our cruise ships.
The range of training we offer sets standards in the shipping industry. We are the only shipping company to train mechatronics engineers for cruise ships. We choose candidates for these training programs in assessment centers. The top candidates are subsequently trained for three and a half years in the upkeep and maintenance of electrical and mechanical systems – both ashore and on board our ships. They learn about complex ship technology and, in the third year of the course, receive special training in their specialist area of machine operation, electrical engineering or hotel technology.
It goes without saying that modules on health and safety are also included in the very comprehensive training course. In additional to the practical work experience that takes place on board, corporate training is also offered at the training and professional development center in Rostock (AFZ) and at the vocational school at Güstrow. Graduates qualify as on-board technical specialists. In 2011, 80 of our fleet’s trainees completed their training as mechatronics engineers, and that figure will reach 120 in 2012. We then offer them support for further study.
Whether they want to become a nautical, technical or electrical officer, a course at AIDA offers (technical) high school graduates outstanding career prospects on board our ships. In conjunction with the University of Wismar, we offer an innovative training concept for three study programs in shipping in Warnemünde: The Bachelor of Science in nautical/maritime traffic or electrical engineering and the combined program for marine engineering. The University of Wismar delivers tried-and-tested training which leads to a Masters, by teaching scientific subjects such as math and physics and providing courses in information technology, navigation and maritime transport safety. In order to best prepare our up-and-coming officers for their work in the cruise industry, we complement this study with two other components: p to 12 months’ practical experience on board our ships, and on the other hand they are offered additional training programs in our own Academy, such as training simulations, cruise ship-specific lectures and individual support. Above and beyond all this, the students also receive a bursary.
New officers who are hired externally also attend our Academy to prepare them for their on-board duties. In the AIDA Introductory Course, experts from industry and education share their AIDA-specific first-hand knowledge – for instance how to work with the on-board computer systems, current standards and regulations in the cruise industry, and the operation of various technical ship systems. Furthermore, they complete the Test of Maritime English (TOME) and upgrade their language skills.
The Germany-wide initiative „Deutschlandstipendium“ was launched for the summer semester of 2011. We take part by providing scholarships for students at the University of Rostock. We are currently supporting two talented young academics through their studies in electronic engineering and IT respectively. Furthermore, we make it possible for them to deepen their knowledge through internships.
