After being in charge of the maritime education for eighteen years, Per-Olof Karlsson has handed over the helm to Micael Vuorio, from 1 January 2020.

Karlsson started his employment 32 years ago in Åbo Navigationsinstitut, now named Aboa Mare Maritime Academy and Training Center.

Karlsson will continue as CEO for Aboa Mare Ltd until his retirement this summer. This will ensure a sufficient transition period for the new head of Maritime Academy and Training Center.

“Aboa Mare is in good hands. The maritime education will continue unchanged and we will stay the course, steady as she goes. We keep up with the latest development and the education meets the demand. Digitalisation and the opportunities within, will increasingly affect the shipping industry in the future,” says Karlsson.

The new head of Maritime Academy and Training Center Micael Vuorio wants to keep the level of the education high.

“Aboa Mare’s future looks very appealing. This is the beginning of a new decade when the education will shift from old to new. We have a very ambitious Simulator Road Map 2020-2030, where it is defined how we will develop the simulators in the future, in our education and in research and development projects. This will benefit our students as well as shipping companies and other companies in the Finnish maritime cluster. The education of captains will be renewed to Captain 2.0, which is feasible within the framework of the present regulations, where digital tools play a crucial role. The amount of technology in education will be increased, both in degree studies and in short courses. The newly established institution of Technology and Seafaring at Novia University of Applied Sciences will play a crucial part, as well as regional cooperation with other educators,” says Vuorio.

Vuorio has worked on both Finnish and international vessels during his 17-year career at sea. In 2001 he was offered a position as a senior lecturer at Yrkeshögskolan Sydväst. Since then, Vuorio has worked in the field of education and simultaneously studied pedagogy for teachers and completed the Master’s degree in Technology Management.

“I have always been interested in new technologies within the shipping industry, so it seemed natural to develop, sell and carry out new courses to shipping companies in collaboration with my colleagues. That is how we increased the sales volume of the training courses at Aboa Mare,” says Vuorio, former training director at Aboa Mare.

The resigning head of Maritime Academy and Training Center Karlsson will not be out of duties after the retirement this summer.

“At first, I have planned to take a break but after that it might be possible to take on an assignment of some kind within the shipping industry, if interesting opportunities show up, time will tell,” says Karlsson.

Maritime Academy and Training Center Aboa Mare has more than 400 maritime students at the vocational institute Axxell and Novia University of Applied Sciences. In addition, there is about 1,700 course participants on our training courses annually. The academy is also active in many research and development projects. We have been granted the permission to start the Bachelor of Engineering degree programme this autumn at Novia UAS. This is a significant milestone for our education center’s future. The maritime training started in Turku for over 200 years ago, in 1813. Since then, the academy has changed its name often, but the training has been ongoing ever since. We are the oldest school educating for a profession in Finland. Maritime training in Turku is nowadays marketed with the name Aboa Mare, which is known both in Finland and abroad.