<< Background >>It has been further challenging in the recent years to catch an on-the-job experience for new starters and those who are on the profession to progress their ranks, due to pandemic, changes in technology, faster promotions and reduced sea-time requirements. There are also many barriers to the easy transfer of experiential knowledge, including language and culture, and yet there is the ever-lasting problem of pressure of work and lack of time (Acar, 2017). Moreover, the recent EU statistics indicates that average working time of a seafarer at sea is 4.8 years therefore it is essential that the seafarers need to be linked with shore based responsibilities that they can contribute and develop in maritime sector with the valuable experience they attain during the course of their time at sea (SAILAHED, 2011- 2013).The European shipping industry now faces fierce competition from the Far East, and a shortage of only officers across the world will be 147,500 by 2025 (BIMCO, 2015). Majority of this shortage will be in Europe although existing sea staff working in Europe are usually from far east. For the waterborne sector to remain competitive, the quality of European standards must not be allowed to fall. The project consortium believes that by raising standards in the field of European VET, and providing institutions with tools to improve the quality of the education that they provide, the employability and mobility of European seafarers will be increased. SEA MENTORS will promote competencies specified to these standards, and some lead to internationally recognised qualifications.On the other hand, maritime industry has a tradition of learning from others on-board; however, on-board community is small and sometimes highly variable in timing and composition. Furthermore, on-board career progress opportunities do not occur until the mariner is actually having real time experience. The world needs competent seafarers and the availability of a welcoming community where connections can be made and answers can be found will contribute to the fulfilment of that goal. Hence, there is a real need for the new generation of seafarers to be guided so they acquire the skills and competence that instruction in colleges cannot deliver.Researches establish that a contributory factor to the increase in accidents is that experiential knowledge (knowledge gained from professional, ‘on the job’ experiences and reflected upon) is not being passed from senior to junior on-board many merchant vessels, in the traditional way that it used to be, by mentoring. Marine accidents and incidents do continue to occur due to a lack of experiential knowledge transferred. Experiential knowledge is not something tangible, nor is it a subject that can be taught in college, although the concept should be addressed and the candidates encouraged to participate in experiential knowledge transfer. There are variety of reasons why transfer of experiential knowledge is difficult to be transferred from one to another is one is the lack of time for informal training which is due to ships and long working hours prevents mentors to take time off their busy schedule and take personal interest in training of juniors.<< Objectives >>SEA MENTORS platform and its tool will enable a platform to enable knowledge transfers between seafarers in various ranks which directly adapts vocational education and training to labour market needs, and contributing to innovation in vocational education and training. Initially, SEA MENTORS will disseminate and transfer the innovative practices developed within the partnership, across Europe and internationally. SEA MENTORS will support development of VET programmes that offer a balanced mix of vocational skills and create work-based learning opportunities which are evolving jobs and working methods and key competences. It will foster the development of programme that offers and qualifications which are regularly updated, building on skills intelligence. Projects will support VET providers in the adaptation of their training offer to changing skills needs in the maritime sector.The project will develop a program considering different rank of seafarers, taking into account the experience they attained in each vessel. The experiential knowledge will have phases to pass it to seafarers working on different levels of command. SEA MENTORS project aims to:- Identify the level of “experiential knowledge” each ranks have in a questionnaire based needs analysis and information based on the investigation of undiscovered areas,- Develop an online Training programme for each ranks therefore they can access to this experiential knowledge which incorporates latest developments in the maritime sector- Design a guidance Tool that provides the user with a certificate for the newly acquired skills based on experiential knowledge.<< Implementation >>Project will have two main outputs and partners will work towards producing these:1) Intellectual Outputs 1 - SEA MENTORS Training Platform and 2) Intellectual Outputs 2 - SEA MENTORS Guidance Tool), Apart from these activities that will be carried out are as titled below:- Management plan - Press releases - Development and distribution of Newsletter - Dissemination Materials - End of Project Brochure - Social medias- Designing, translating and printing of project flyers - Constant disseminating of information about the project - Project website<< Results >>The Platform and guidance tool will have options to select knowledge that users would wish to attain on different levels of ranks. The platform offered by the SEA MENTOR Training Programme will have a direct impact on seafarers by giving them experiential knowledge leading to enhanced competence and decision making. The seafarers will have better skills and knowledge to understand and interpret the given situations.The main tangible outcome is an online and novel learning and assessment platform covering all aspects of advanced technology. This will facilitate the inclusion of the identified new skills in existing maritime programmes and facilitate the experiential knowledge transfer which is expected to lead to a reduction in the number of accidents at sea.SEA MENTORS platform will:•facilitate “Experiential Knowledge“ transfer between senior and junior seafarers•be customised depending on the needs of seafarers•incorporate a database of “Experiential Knowledge” from the users•be based on providing the best advice on career advancement as well as specific guides•offer a certification service for the user to assess their experiential knowledge and skills acquired from the course.The partners will provide functional learning and skills to their seafarers as well as their students. Operators involved in the provision of maritime transport services and the European maritime transport, will be embracing the platform in the short term and thus making the seas safer, which is expected to enable shipping companies to become more competitive. Where millions of sea passengers a year travelling through European ports, passenger ships and ferry services, the course will have a direct impact on safety of passengers and quality of life of citizens at sea.The partners have a clear vision for developing SEA MENTORS platform and tolls in their countries and throughout Europe. MARITIME INNOVATORS, together with other partners in this proposal and others, established maritime education partnerships and networks to improve education and training practices in Europe, and go about the harmonisation of merchant navy officers education. Partners networks have instigated several European and EU Funded projects to address specific deficiencies or problems in the maritime sector. SEA MENTORS embraces these principals, and will support the development strategies that are already in place. The extensive knowledge base generated by partnerships working on maritime projects will be shared with the awarding, accrediting, and licensing bodies as well as the policy decision makers in governments and in the EU. The EU has supported many VET initiatives and research, and it is hoped that with their continued support, the SEA MENTORS consortium can extend its ability to address the needs of education within VET sector. With successful dissemination activities within the project, other EU countries will achieve similar benefits complying with EU's Maritime Transport Agenda. Therefore, it will have a positive impact on maritime seaborne transportation within the EU.