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Rakesh Nair of CSSI gives a lowdown on cruise ship career and a ‘first of its kind, campus interview’ in Dimapur
Carnival Support Services India (CSSI) Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the world’s largest Cruise Corporation, Carnival Corporation with the Emporium Skill Training Institute (ESTI) has recently signed an MOU where CSSI will be recruiting candidates from the Institute.
Carnival Corporation, it was informed, has 8 ‘iconic’ Cruiseline brands such as P&O Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises Australia, Costa Cruises, Holland America Line and Seabourn. In addition, it operates more than 100 Cruise Ships in UK, US, Australia, Europe and South East Asia.
ESTI is a registered Vocational Training Provider (VTP) under thy Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Department of Employment, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, and Government of Nagaland. ESTI, as per institute, is currently providing free of cost Government sponsored placement linked skill training programme in the field of aviation and hospitality in the state of Nagaland under PMKVY, flagship scheme of the Government of India in the state of Nagaland for the educated unemployed youths.
ESTI, Dimapur in collaboration with the Carnival Corporation will be hosting the first of its kind, campus interview in Dimapur. The recruitment drive is likely to be conducted in the month of March, 2020 and the same will be open to all the candidates of North Eastern region.
Rakesh Nair, Head - Crew Lifecycle Business Support & Operations (HA Group & Costa Cruises), CSSI shares more detail about the recruitment drive in an exclusive interview with The Morung Express (MExN).
MExN: Can you provide a brief context of the MoU between Emporium Skill Training Institute and the Carnival Support Services India Pvt Ltd and what it means for the youth in Nagaland?
CCSI: Carnival Support Services India Pvt. Ltd. (CSSI) and Emporium Training and Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. have entered into an MoU where CSSI will be recruiting candidates from Emporium Institute. All recruitment is free, and no service charges are to be paid for recruitment – either to CSSI or to Emporium.
MExN: What are the essential qualities and values you are looking for in the applicants? What kind of skills are the companies looking for in the applicant?
CCSI: We are looking for people with the ability to ‘WOW’ our guests with their service levels and their attention to detail. They should be driven, passionate and willing to go the extra mile in making vacations of our guests memorable.
MExN: What are the educational qualifications and documents required for the applicants?
CCSI: For our entry level ranks, candidates with a successful completion of ten years of formal schooling (like SSC) along with one year of current experience in any hospitality sector may apply. We are also considering graduates who do not have any hospitality experience but do have some customer service experience of at least a year.
For senior ranks, we are looking for candidates with a diploma or degree in Hospitality Management combined with two years of experience in 4/5 star hotels, resorts or cruise ships.
For all positions, fluency in spoken English is a must.
MExN: What are the other expectations from the applicants?
CCSI: Candidates should be well groomed and present original documents to support their work experience and education at the time of the interview. A valid Indian passport is a must.
MExN: How many numbers of people are expected to be hired through this recruitment drive?
CCSI: The number of people hired will entirely depend on footfalls and further evaluation. We are not going with set hiring targets – we are looking to make a presence in the North East of India, evaluate their competencies andselect the best talent.
MExN: Are recruits chosen based on merit or region?
CCSI: Purely on merit.
MExN: Will there be any fee or charges for the recruitment drive?
CCSI: All recruitment is completely free. We do not charge any service fees.
MExN: Can you brief us on the different rounds of interviews that will be involved for the selection?
CCSI: This is a typical flow of the selection process:
Screening of documents ->Technical Assessment: Functional, Psychometric, English Language followed by a Personal Interview
MExN: Can you give some background on the jobs and positions that are being offered? For examples, where are the placements required and what will be the nature of the work?
CCSI: We are recruiting in the following departments:
Kitchen – Chefs (all levels) + Kitchen Utility staff
F&B – F&B Service Staff + Utility
Housekeeping – Utility
Some of the ranks above are open to freshers and some are only open for experienced staff.
MExN: Will the chosen recruits be trained in legal awareness so that they will be equipped to protect their basic and fundamental legal rights?
CCSI: All employments on board cruise ships are contractual. The employment contract lays down the terms and conditions governing their on board employment. Candidates have sufficient time to peruse the document and the terms and conditions contained before they sign the contract.
CSSI is an authorized Recruitment and Placement Service Provider duly licensed by the Directorate General of Shipping in India (DG shipping). Our license no is RPSL – MUM – 062. We are India’s largest recruiter of cruise ship personnel. Presently, over 23000 Indian nationals proudly serve on board ships belonging to our partner brands such as P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises Australia, Seabourn and Cunard Line.
MExN: What are the various kinds of training that the selected candidates will go through?
CCSI: Depending upon the position that candidates are selected, they will require to undergo a training at a CSSI accredited culinary training institute in Hyderabad. These training programs will range from 2 days to 2 weeks.
MExN: What are the future and growth prospects that the selected candidates can expect from the Cruise industry?
CCSI: As per industry reports, approximately 32 million passengers worldwide are expected to cruise in 2020, and over 25 new cruise ships are expected to debut into service this year. This translates to increased employment opportunities on board big cruise line companies such as Carnival. Traditionally, Indians have always been a strong seafaring community and Indian nationals are in great demand across the cruising industry. This is because most Indian hospitality professionals speak English and have a strong service culture. Moreover a cruise ship career means the opportunity to travel the world and working with multi-national crew.
