Authors : Arvind Shankar; Dr. J. Rengamani; Dr. Deepa Rajesh

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 4 - April

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/ybkembnw

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/bdf2ptzf

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26apr2460

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : Structural barriers that limit women's entry into seafaring are established in the literature. Less well documented is what actually works when institutions and companies choose to act. This paper fills that gap by examining two practitioner-led interventions implemented within the Indian maritime sector, each designed to address a distinct set of conditions that keep women out of or push them out of sea-going careers. The first intervention is the Women Cadet Programme, designed by the author in collaboration with AMET University, Chennai. The programme operates through six pillars of change that address the conditions shaping women's training experience at the institutional level, rather than focusing on the individual resilience of women cadets. The six pillars cover infrastructural advancement, cultural enhancement, vigilant administration, enriching academic experience, transparency on maritime education and careers, and constant care. The programme set an ambitious target of achieving 50 per cent women in cadet hiring cohorts by 2027. That target was reached two years ahead of schedule, in 2025. The second intervention is the Gender Sensitisation Training Programme, developed in collaboration with AMET University and funded by the Directorate General of Shipping and the Maritime Training Trust. This programme targets the faculty and support staff attitudes and institutional culture that shape the daily experience of women cadets in training. It is delivered in English and regional languages to ensure reach across different staff profiles and has been shown to shift the informal climate of training environments in measurable ways.

Keywords : Women Seafarers, Women Cadet Programme, Gender Sensitisation Training, Psychological Safety, Institutional Change, Pre-Sea Training, Indian Maritime, Workforce Diversity, ESG, Talent Pipeline.

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