THE CHALLENGES OF TEACHING ENGLISH TO THE MARINE ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Teaching requirements for Maritime English teachers have been adapting to changes in social and work setting. The changing nature of the learning environment and the growing demand for the ETO (Electro-Technical Officer) at the seafaring market called for the need to adapt the English language learning plans to the language requirements of the amended STCW (International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) code. Likewise, the students' needs related to language competencies are also changing. The goal of this paper is to present the possibilities of teaching the English language to ETO students according to the requirements laid down by the IMO (International Maritime Organization), IMO Model Course 3.17, IMO Model Course 7.08 and the specificities of the ETO ranking. The choice of the language exercises presented in this paper rests on the blended teaching practices carried out at the Faculty of Maritime Studies Kotor with the Marine Electrical Engineering students. The article starts with theoretical insight about teaching the English language in the recent literature. In addition, the need for integration and cooperation between language and specific-subject teachers, the so-called "twinning" is also highlighted in the paper. Conclusions reached in this paper might motivate technical-related or specialized English practitioners to collaborate with their colleagues teaching professional subjects.