Three Local Institutions Sign Maritime Education Agreement
Three educational institutions have partnered with the Barbados Maritime Transport Administration to strengthen the future of local maritime training through the signing of the National Maritime Training and Employment Programme (NATMARTEP).
The signing ceremony was held this morning at the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport’s One Barbados Place office, marking the official launch of the programme.
Signing the agreement – which is designed to provide local and regional students with academic, technical, and vocational maritime education – was Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Ian Gooding-Edghill, together with representatives from the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI), the Barbados Community College (BCC), and the Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity (BIMAP).
Mr. Gooding-Edghill described the signing of the NATMARTEP agreement as a momentous occasion and another major milestone in the Ministry’s maritime regulatory reform journey. He underscored the importance of training and capacity-building for the sector.
“Training and capacity building are critical to ensuring safety, driving sustainable practices and fostering global competitiveness in the maritime sector by equipping professionals with new skills to adapt to technological advancements and involving international standards. They prepare the maritime workforce for emergencies, help maintain a skilled workforce and support the implementation of new policies, ensuring the sector’s efficient and responsible operation.
“Providing maritime training, entrepreneurship, and employment opportunities are therefore core to Barbados’ Maritime regulatory reform exercise. Training of new entrants to the maritime sector and refresher training for persons already in the maritime sector continually secures for Barbados a cadre of knowledgeable, skilled and competent persons for the shore base and sea growing maritime sectors,” Minister Gooding-Edghill stated.
He further noted that the signing of the agreement would enhance Barbados’ maritime regulatory compliance and capacity-building efforts, aligning with the requirements of the International Labour Organization’s Maritime Labour Convention, of which Barbados is a member.
“The National Maritime Training and Employment Programme fulfils the requirements of regulation 2.8 of the International Labour Organization’s Maritime Labour Convention of 2006 as amended. Regulation 2.8 of the Maritime Labour Convention mandates the promotion of career and skill development opportunities for seafarers, as well as to establish measures to foster a career path and skilled workforce within the maritime sector.
“The National Maritime Training and Employment Programme is also an umbrella maritime legislative implementation measure, extending across all of Barbados’ recently enacted maritime laws. This programme is integral to the function of the Barbados maritime legislative infrastructure. It is a key implementation tool that will support maritime policy and legislation management in terms of strategically and meaningfully translating policy and legislative goals into tangible in-sector maritime best practices; enhance maritime safety and efficiency; improve exceptional expertise; promote sustainability and growth; and address maritime workforce demands,” the International Transport Minister explained.
Mr. Gooding-Edghill also emphasised that NATMARTEP provides a structured approach to materialising maritime standards and requirements, from the law books to the learning and working environment, therefore directly feeding into the human element in the maritime industry. He stressed that without human capital, no sector can thrive.
Author: Sheena Forde-Craigg