WHAT STARTED out on an experimental basis in 1996, the Maritime Studies Programme introduced by Simons Town High School, has just produced its first crop of maritime graduates.
A group of 20 students, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, were recently awarded their diplomas at the school by Safmarine g.m. Ivan Heesom-Green.
The programme was unique, he said, in that students had graduated from a school specifically geared towards a particular industry and paid for to a large extent by that industry.
Eighteen of the students completed the Maritime Studies ÔA' programme, which is designed for pupils choosing maritime careers ashore and deals with port studies, maritime trade, patterns, structure of the local shipping industry and various aspects of ship operation and ship-broking.
Overall it provides the student with a background in the industries involved in international trade.
Two students successfully completed the Maritime Studies ÔB' course, which prepares them directly for a career at sea and covers seamanship, navigation and various aspects of marine science .By Steve Saunders
