More than 70 students take part in CLIA’s educational program “All Aboard!”
- Three fifth-grade classes discover maritime careers
- MSC Cruises professionals visit the classroom to explain the more than 400 jobs available on board
- Initiative organized by CLIA together with MSC Cruises, the Port System Authority of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, and Porto di Livorno 2000 during the days surrounding Italian Cruise Day
For one morning, the classrooms of Benci-Borsi Primary School in Livorno were transformed into a cruise ship: students became captains, chief engineers, onboard doctors, environmental officers, reception staff, and shore excursion guides. The port they see every day from their homes ceased to be merely a backdrop and became a potential workplace. More than seventy students from three fifth-grade classes took part in“All Aboard!”, the educational program promoted by CLIA, the association representing the cruise industry, in collaboration with MSC Cruises, the Port System Authority of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, and Porto di Livorno 2000.
Designed for children aged nine to eleven,“All Aboard!” uses role-playing activities to introduce young students to the wide range of careers connected to the cruise industry. A cruise ship can host more than 400 different professions and a crew of over 2,000 people. Working in pairs, students explore a specific profession and present it to their classmates, explaining its responsibilities and interesting aspects. Alongside career awareness, the program highlights the principles that shape life at sea: diversity, respect for other cultures, teamwork, and environmental protection.
Making the experience tangible were MSC Cruises professionals who left their ship docked in the port for a few hours to visit the Benci-Borsi classrooms, where they shared their work experiences and life on board, answering the students’ questions.
Originally launched as a pilot project in Palma de Mallorca, the program has since expanded to schools in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, involving around 300 students, and later to Lisbon, Cádiz, Tarragona, and Málaga. The Livorno edition was held during the week of Italian Cruise Day, the national forum on the cruise industry, which took place in the city on 23 October.
Statements
Simona Michel, Principal of the Benci-Borsi Comprehensive Institute
“Getting to know the local area, discovering its opportunities, and exploring the professions of the future through play and hands-on experience. This is the objective behind the participation of the Benci-Borsi Comprehensive Institute of Livorno in ‘All Aboard!’.
The initiative offers students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the environment in which they live, while appreciating the economic, social, and professional value of the maritime and cruise sectors, which are deeply connected to the history and identity of the city of Livorno.
Through interactive activities and role-playing games, children gain first-hand knowledge of the many professions that contribute to the operation of a cruise ship, while experiencing the importance of cooperation, teamwork, and shared responsibility.
Particular attention is paid to developing critical thinking, stimulated by exposure to realities, experiences, and worlds that differ from everyday life. Learning about contexts that students would rarely have the opportunity to encounter directly broadens their horizons, encourages them to engage with different
perspectives, ask questions, and interpret the complexity of the world with greater openness and awareness.
Participation in ‘All Aboard!’ represents an opportunity for the Benci-Borsi Comprehensive Institute to strengthen the dialogue between school and community, bringing students closer to a strategic sector for the city and encouraging greater awareness of its professional opportunities.
Learning through play, discovering the local area, engaging with new realities, and developing a critical understanding of the world: an experience that combines education, citizenship, and the promotion of Livorno’s maritime identity, contributing to the personal and cultural growth of students.”
Davide Gariglio, President of the Port System Authority of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea
“The Port of Livorno is part of the city’s daily life, and initiatives such as this help young people recognize it as a place of opportunity and employment. Bringing students together with maritime professionals means introducing new generations to a sector that offers many prospects, while promoting sustainability and environmental awareness. We are pleased to support All Aboard!, which, just days after Italian Cruise Day, further strengthens the dialogue between the port, schools, and the local community.”
Jon Olav Stedje, Sustainability and Community Engagement Manager, MSC Cruises
“Many children see cruise ships entering the port of their city, but know little about the people who work on them and the stories they carry with them. Meeting students in the classroom and sharing our work with them allows us to bring that world closer, spark their curiosity and imagination, and at the same time strengthen our connection with the communities that welcome us.”
Francesco Galietti, Director, CLIA Italy
“We are proud to have brought to Livorno an initiative that has already been implemented in many other European port cities, connecting cities with their ports and young people with maritime professions. It is a dialogue that enriches everyone.”
