Dr Mackechnie, an Australian, now living in the Asian region for over 20 years, previously managed companies in various industries, including a trading company which he brought into the Top 500 Exporters in Australia.
Since moving to Asia, and moving into the university sector, Dr Mackechnie continues to travel extensively throughout the Asian region, teaching and supervising graduate business students. He is a Visiting Professor for a number of European, American and Asian universities
Dr Mackechnie also acts as an education consultant and adviser, seeking to develop collaborations, alliances and partnerships between education institutions globally.
Within his current position at Netherlands Maritime University College, as Head of the Centre for Professional Development, Dr Mackechnie is exploring collaborations with maritime universities and colleges, and training possibilities within the region. Asia possesses a rich Maritime history, and predictions see future global trade anchored around Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Developing strong and resilient maritime education and training partnerships will help to ensure that, regionally, we are in the forefront of addressing and understanding new technological and business developments and opportunities.
There is an urgent need to confront the future trends in maritime education as they are evolving rapidly and to keep pace with technological advancements, industry demands, and global challenges.
Some key trends expected to shape maritime education now, and in the coming years, include digitalization and smart technologies, sustainability and environmental focus, autonomous and unmanned vessels, advanced navigation and communication systems, interdisciplinary and soft skills development, global collaboration and standardization, resilience and safety training, data analytics and decision support, industry and academic collaboration, and continuous professional development, including lifelong learning and micro-credentials.
