There’s much to celebrate since SMOU held its first Bangkok Nite and CadetsPlus Graduation five years ago. This year, SMOU reprised its celebration for its Thai members and CadetsPlus graduates.
Held at the InterContinental Bangkok Hotel on 1 June 2023, the Bangkok Nite and Wavelink CadetsPlus Graduation gathered more than 300 guests and members from the maritime community and tripartite and shipping representatives.
Ms Mary Liew, General Secretary of SMOU, ignited the celebration with her opening address, marking the achievements of the cadets who are ready to be deployed onboard Singapore’s shipping fleet.
Representing the Guest-of-Honour Mr Kritpetch Chaichuay, Inspector General, Ministry of Transport Acting Director, Marine Department who wasn’t able to attend, Mr Wiwat Chidcherdwong, Director of Merchant Marine Training Centre delivered a heartwarming speech, congratulating the cadets and vowing continued support to the maritime community.
CadetsPlus Bangkok programme declared 61 cadets sea-worthy at the graduation ceremony where each cadet stepped out excitedly to receive their certificates. Mr Wiwat Chidcherdwong presented special awards to cadets voted for being the Most Outstanding, Best Leadership, Best Academic, Best Attitude Towards Learning and Friend Favourite.
Besides the graduation, 20 young cadets were commended for demonstrating exceptional selflessness through their participation in a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project organised by Young SMOU (YSMOU) held on 31 May. The volunteer cadets served the Klong Toey community at Baan Chivitmai Jaisamarn (BCJ) Foundation, through their acts of cleaning-up, befriending and giving.
The Wavelink CadetPlus graduation was celebrated in tandem with SMOU Bangkok Nite which featured fringe activities such as the photo wall, SMOU displays, 360 photobooth, customised key ring memento station and Thai snack stations. Emcee Toddy Piumsomboon commanded the stage with his affable personality. A feast of local fare offered enough fuel throughout the night filled with dance acts, live band entertainment and show-stopping performances by the cadets.
Thanks to Alfa Ship Managers Pte Ltd, NYK Shipmanagement Pte Ltd, Pacific International Lines and Thoresen Shipping Singapore Pte Ltd, the top five lucky draw winners walked away with prizes such as iPad, Lenovo laptop, Samsung phone and Nintendo Switch.
About CadetsPlus Programme
CadetsPlus Programme is organised by the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union (SMOU) & Wavelink Maritime Institute (WMI) to prepare seafaring students for future officer responsibilities. Supported by the Singapore Maritime Training Fund (SMTF), the programme aims to promote collective training, education, and upgrading of seafarers.
For three weeks, cadets undergo an intensive pre-boarding training to become better seafarers through the emphasis on communication and active conversation, soft skills and personal development, legislative requirement, safety and environmental protection and shipboard integration.
The equipping of skills and knowledge prepares cadets for the transition to work onboard ships and amongst a multinational crew. The enhanced CadetsPlus programme features more trainer contact hours and supplementary training via the Online Learning Management System (LMS). To ensure quality training and effectiveness of the programme, WMI also carries out a modular assessment for each learning module.
