It’s time for the “holiday voyagers” to embark: 14 high school students from across Germany are setting sail with Hapag-Lloyd again this summer break. One of them is Hans Günther Hecking from Wismar in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The 10th grader has signed on to spend four weeks on board the “Tsingtao Express” container ship. His voyage will take him on the Indian Ocean Service from Hamburg to Jebel Ali, Dubai, via Morocco. From there he will fly back to Hamburg to go back to school at home. “My father is a captain. I’ve always enjoyed going to sea with him and would also like to do an apprenticeship on board a ship if I like the internship here,” says the 16-year-old holiday voyager.
The German Shipowners’ Association (VDR) developed the programme already in the 1960s, and Hapag-Lloyd has been a partner quasi from the beginning. Young men and women aged 16 and older can get a taste of maritime shipping under realistic conditions during their summer holidays. For up to four weeks, the students experience life and work on board a container ship and, as crew members, lend a hand in the day-to-day operations of the ship whenever needed. As the ship’s captain, Danica Menze, sees it, the programme offers students a good chance to test whether an apprenticeship as a navigational assistant officer or a ship mechanic is a fitting choice on their career path. “Be bold and just give it a try! The Holiday Voyager Programme is perfect for this. The students go everywhere on board and get a good impression of how seafaring works today. Hapag-Lloyd supports this by taking holiday voyagers with us every year, so that we can get more and more people interested in our profession,” says the 34-year-old master of the “Tsingtao Express”.
How to apply? Anyone interested in the programme can visit “Reinschnuppern – Mach Meer” to learn more and apply for the summer holidays by 15 April of the respective year at the latest.
Source: Hapag Lloyd
Prerequisites:
Comprehensive insight into how seafaring works today
Be at least 16 years old
Attend a general education school and have at least one more year of school to complete
Completion of a first-aid course
A certificate of fitness for sea service to work in the deck and/or engineering department
A valid passport
Proficiency in English
For more information, send an email to: [email protected].
Source: Hapag Lloyd
