Aligning the course learning outcomes of maritime business degrees with industry preferred skill sets to increase student employability in the onshore maritime industry

This project investigates whether the Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) of maritime business degree meet the specific employability requirements of the onshore sector of the maritime industry. It firstly identifies common employability skills embedded in the CLOs of maritime business degrees by undertaking a comparison of existing CLOs between universities. Secondly, it interviewed and surveyed senior managers in the onshore maritime sectors in Australia, the US and Canada to investigate current and future industry employability skills required for maritime business graduates. Thirdly, these industry-focused employability skills sets were used for developing a mapping tool to evaluate alignment between the industry preferred employability skills sets and the universities’ CLOs and curriculum. Strategies for improvement of the CLOs and curriculum of maritime business degrees are recommended to align with employer-identified future skills to enhance students’ employability in the onshore maritime industry.