<![CDATA[This research investigates the role of the English Personnel Care EPC program as a mentoring-based intervention designed to foster communicative competence among maritime cadets at the Merchant Marine Polytechnic of Makassar. Despite the critical need for effective communication in the global maritime industry, cadets frequently face challenges in applying theoretical English knowledge to real-world operational scenarios, often exacerbated by rigid, regimental institutional structures. Using a qualitative case study design, this research examines the experiences of participating cadets through non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. The findings reveal that the EPC program functions as a Third Space, effectively neutralizing institutional power distance and creating a psychologically safe environment for linguistic risk-taking. By utilizing scaffolding techniques and non-punitive feedback, the program significantly reduces communicative anxiety and fosters professional resilience. The results suggest that the EPC program successfully bridges the knowledge-doing gap, transforming passive learners into articulate, confident future maritime professionals. This study contributes to the field of Maritime English by providing an evidence-based model for human-centered vocational education, demonstrating that communicative competence is fundamentally an outcome of a supportive, egalitarian mentoring culture.]]>
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