On July 27, within the EU-funded project – Learn, Exercise, Achieve, Receive, Network for Employment! (LEARN for Employment!) Maritime Business Forum was held at the hotel Radisson Blu Batumi. The Business Forum was organised by the Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC) in partnership with the Batumi Navigation Teaching University and Employment Agency of the Autonomous Region of Adjara (EAARA). The event aimed to promote Georgia as a maritime country, evaluate and advance Georgia’s role in the international labour market for employment in the marine sector.

Chairperson of the board of the Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC)  Lika Kiladze, EU Delegation to Georgia, Visibility Expert Alexandra Bryson, the director of Adjara Employment Agency Temur Kakhidze, Head of Administration Chancellor Batumi Navigation Teaching University Lali Khvedelidze, Mayor of Batumi City Hall Archil Chikovani, Head of Administration of Batumi Navigation Teaching University Lali Khvedelidze and Head of the EU Assistance Coordination and Sectoral Integration Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia David Bujiashvili greeted the audience.

The first day of the forum also was devoted to a conference and panel discussions, where Georgian and foreign experts will present current topics of the maritime sector in the direction of digital support, environmental protection, education, and employment.

The first part of the event consisting of three-panel discussions included the following topics and participants:

First Panel – Meeting Theme:

Challenges and Prospects for Education and Employment in the Maritime Sector:

Moderator: Natia Mikeltadze – Batumi Navigation Teaching University, Head of Quality Assurance Department, professor

• Requirements Defined by the Maritime Labor Convention and their fulfillment – Davit Jincharadze, Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia, Head of Seafarers Department
• Prospects of Small-scale Cruise Tourism for the Black Sea – Matteo Bocci, Black Sea Assistance Mechanism, Blue Economy Expert
• Closing the Skills Gap: Public-Private Partnership Role in Meeting the Labor Market Needs in Maritime Sector – Professional Skills Agency – Tamar Kitiashvili, Skills Agency Georgia, Director General

Second Panel –  Meeting Theme:

Challenges Gaps and Opportunities for the Digitalization of the Blue (Maritime) Economy

Moderator: David Tsiskaridze – Chairman of the Board – International Business and Economic Development Center

• Digitalization of Multimodal Cargo Transportation via Georgia and Black Sea Ports – Valeri Virkovski – Logistics and Digital Transport Corridors Working Group in the Eastern Partnership, Principle Expert and Chairperson
• Burgas Blue Economy Achievements and Perspectives for Growth – Zoya Stoyanova, Chief Expert Strategic Development Directorate at Burgas Municipality
• Smart Specialisation for Blue Economy: A Perspective on Needs and Potential Developments – Ioana Lazar – International Business and Economic Center (IBEDC), International Expert

Third Panel – Meeting Theme:

Environmental Issues – Sources of Pollution and Alternative Resources

Moderator: Ana Shotadze – Batumi State Maritime Academy, Associate professor department of Navigation

• Chemical Pollution, Sources and its Impact on Marine Ecosystem – Fatma Telli Karakoç, Karadeniz Technical University, Marine Science Faculty, Professor, Doctor
• Presence of Marine Litter and its Distribution Depending on Meteorological and Oceanographic Conditions in the Black Sea – Coşkun ERÜZ, Karadeniz Technical University, Marine Science Faculty, Assoc.Professor,  Doctor
• Black Sea Ecosystem and its Protection from Pollution – Guranda Bagrationi, Directorate of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Ajaria, Head of Biodiversity and Integrated Environment Management Service

The second day of the Business forum (28.07.2023) was devoted to an informative tour of Batumi Navigation Teaching University and Batumi State Maritime Academy, where the guests familiarized themselves with the teaching programs and discussed the prospects of future cooperation.

The EU-funded project “Learn, Exercise, Achieve, Receive, Network for Employment! (LEARN for Employment!)“ is implemented by the Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC), the Telavi Education Development and Employment Center (TEDEC), the Employment Agency of the Autonomous Region of Adjara (EAARA), Abkhazintercont (AIC) and the Guria Youth Resource Center (GYRC).