A fresh batch of students from the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) are celebrating completing their diplomas and professional qualifying exam (PQE).

The ICS results for those who took their examinations in November show that 86 students gained their PQEs, with 21 picking up advanced diplomas and nine foundation diplomas.

ICS director Julie Lithgow told TradeWinds that numbers for those taking these qualifications were down slightly for the second year running.

Lithgow and the team believe this is largely due to the poor shipping markets experienced over the last two years during which companies may have made cuts to their training budgets. But they point out that these figures follow a spike in numbers of students taking the exams in 2015.

“Results days are one of the best bits of my job,” Lithgow said. “For some students success may have come after a number of attempts and for those not making the list today, we are here to support them next time.”

The ICS, which is the only international professional body representing shipbrokers, shipmanagers and agents worldwide, is trying to enhance its training.

The institute recently introduced live online tutorials with personal tutors for its TutorShip students.

“We are very focused on continuing to improve access to learning resources, for example by developing new centres in Manila, Busan and Malta. Even after 100 years, the Institute never stands still,” she said.

The institute also works with companies on special programmes for groups of employees, that can lead to co-branded qualifications which are equally recognised.

A recent open day held in 28 locations globally and online attracted over 1,000 visitors, she added. Recent partnerships in new territories including the Malta Maritime Forum, Korea Maritime and Ocean University in Busan and Magsaysay Learning Resources in Manila were also involved.

The ICS is represented globally through 25 branches, 15 teaching centres and holds exams in over 100 centres across six continents.

It is a non-profit body that aims to offer affordable education accessible to all. Bursaries sponsored by the Baltic Exchange, WISTA and the Institute’s own charitable trust are also available.

The next series of ICS exams will be conducted in May.