Growing call for in-house training

As international trade continues to grow – with special focus on the container trades – South Africa and the SADC are ideally positioned to benefit, says Tim Hastie of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. A major issue of concern, however, is the skills deficit in both the private and public sectors. “Government is focusing on the maritime sector with its ‘Operation Phakisa’ and the Blue Highway initiatives, which are putting pressure on the private sector to up its B-BBEE progress in order to comply with the new regulations,” said Hastie. “There are now many private training organisations offering maritime skills training to take advantage of the situation,” he said. The ICS offers various levels of qualification starting with the ‘Understanding Shipping’ Certificate, which caters for new entrants to the shipping industry. “It has been customised to meet the particular requirements of our local industry and has been endorsed as a mandatory industry requirement in other major ship owning and operating countries,” said Hastie. A wide selection of diploma courses run by the ICS cover a range of topics – from legal principles of shipping and chartering to liner trades, port operations and multi-modal transport. All are correspondence courses which provide students with the necessary f lexibility. In-house training is also on offer, and this seems to be on the increase, said Hastie, judging from the enquiries for the ICS’s bespoke courses. The problem, he said, was that while there was a good deal of basic or entry level training going on there was not enough advanced training or specialisation. “The freight industry has many facets to it and can be complex. This can lead to unqualified people dealing in complex issues with poor outcomes which may put their employers at risk.” But despite the challenges facing the industry – particularly in terms of the skills dearth – the ICS is upbeat. “There is a great future for the maritime and freight industry as there will always be movement of goods and people,” said Hastie. “The demand for skilled personnel will continue to grow and the diversity of the industry will permit individuals to eventually specialise in the field that interests them the most – whether it be sea or land transport.” INSERT While there is a good deal of basic or entry level training going on there’s not enough advanced training or specialisation. – Tim Hastie