Penguatan Budaya Pelayanan Prima Bagi Taruna Dalam Mewujudkan Profesionalisme Transportasi Maritim

Abstract

This community service program aimed to strengthen understanding and practice of service excellence among cadets at Politeknik Ilmu Pelayaran Makassar. It addressed the need to connect technical maritime competence with communication, empathy, responsiveness, and professional appearance. A participatory approach involved preparation, introductory sessions, interactive training, service simulations, and evaluation with follow-up recommendations. Training covered reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy, and responsiveness. Data collection included pretests and posttests, observation of simulations, and discussions with cadets and their supervisors. Descriptive facilitator observations indicated more structured communication, more empathetic responses to complaints, and greater willingness to participate in service scenarios. Implementation faced limited practice time, differences in participants’ confidence, and simulation facilities that did not fully reproduce shipboard conditions. These observations describe learning during the program and do not establish statistical effectiveness or lasting behavioral change. Contextual practice, repeated feedback, and mentoring offer a basis for further development. Integrating service excellence into cadet development is recommended alongside measurable evaluation and follow-up assessment of skills application beyond the training setting.

Keywords: service excellence; cadets; professionalism; maritime transportation; community service