Merchant Navy Training Board News

Stream Marine Training has boosted its management team as Katy Womersley, former General Manager of Clyde Marine Training, moves over the River Clyde where she takes up the role of Operations Director at Stream Marine Careers.Womersley brings her extensive experience in the maritime industry where, as a former seafarer, she began her career as a deck cadet before qualifying and working in the offshore and short sea trade. Upon moving ashore Katy Womersley was initially responsible for the delivery…

Ambitious plans are being launched for a $184 million training and disaster relief ship with cutting-edge British technology.Britannia Maritime Aid (BMA), a registered charity, aims to build the futuristic vessel in Britain. It is officially launching its plans at the UK Chamber of Shipping on Monday September 9 during London International Shipping Week.Maritime professionals and training experts have joined forces for project with backing from former First Sea Lords, the Lord West of Spithead and Admiral Sir Nigel Essenhigh.Others supporters include members of the Houses of Lords and Commons, shipbuilder Cammell Laird, ship designers Leadship…

European Transport Workers Federation, (ETF) and the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) have discussed possible solutions to increase women’s participation in the shipping industry in Europe. Currently only 2% of the seafaring workforce available for the EU fleet consist of women, whilst gender equality is being put at the heart of the EU’s fundamental values for sustainable and inclusive growth. Discussions focused on maritime training and career development for women, as well as the recruitment and retention of women in the shipping industry. Alongside representatives of both the ETF and the ECSA, participants came from a wide range of stakeholders such as the European Commission (Platform for Change)…

The Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) has achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification, the international standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system.ISO 9001 certification helps organizations ensure they offer consistently high-quality services to the satisfaction of customers, management and employees. It also ensures the continuous improvement of the business.The certification coincides with the launch of the MNTB’s new Center Recognition service, which recognizes quality training centers in the U.K. and abroad with an MNTB kitemark.“The MNTB wanted to prove to the industry that our new Recognition Service is underpinned by strictly controlled quality processes and procedures.

Prospective maritime caterers can now be assured of quality training and additional funding, thanks to a new apprenticeship standard developed by the UK’s Maritime Trailblazer group, said UK Chamber of Shipping. The new Maritime Caterer apprenticeship has been designed to train people to organise a kitchen and cook meals across a number of shifts that span the cultural needs of multinational crews. The new standard, which has been approved by the UK’s Institute for Apprenticeships, covers cookery skills, stocktaking and kitchen management, and outlines the skills, understanding and behaviour expected of caterers onboard ships. As part of the apprenticeship…

Sir Michael Bibby was elected President of the UK Chamber of Shipping at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting in London. He becomes the Chamber’s 132nd president in its 140th year. John Denholm, chairman of J&J Denholm, was elected Vice-President at the meeting, which was attended by over 100 people from the Chamber’s member companies. Sir Michael is planning to step back from his position as Managing Director of Bibby Line Group during 2018 to allow him to better focus his time on external work interests, including his involvement with the UK Chamber. He used his inaugural speech as President to praise the Chamber’s rising political and media influence, and its success with the SMarT Plus campaign, a joint proposal with Nautilus that became Government policy in February.

Businesses in Scotland that contribute to the Apprenticeship Levy can now apply for a workforce development grant of up to GBP 10,000, which the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) says could open up opportunities for seafarers. The Scottish Government this month launched the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF), which aims to help pay for employee training to up-skill and re-skill companies' existing workforces through one of Scotland's further education colleges. Companies are eligible to apply for the funding if they are an Apprenticeship Levy-paying employer (i.e. have an annual salary bill of over GBP 3 million) and have a workforce in Scotland.

U.K. safety training company Stream Marine Training (SMT) has broken ground on a major project to refurbish its newly purchased 20,000 sq ft headquarters at Glasgow Airport. SMT was founded in 2014 by Martin White at smaller premises at Glasgow Airport. SMT specializes in providing firefighting, sea survival, rescue craft and health & safety courses to the maritime, oil and gas, renewables and construction sectors. In just two years SMT has grown turnover rapidly to circa £2 million with 22 full-time staff and 15 consultants.

The UK Chamber has welcomed an announcement by the Home Office to reform immigration rules for international students, extending the time limit to three years for educational courses which are below degree level but subject to MCA regulations that the applicant must spend 12 months at sea. Until now, international students within the Tier 4 (general) visa route are subject to restrictions on the maximum period of time they can study at a specific level. The time limit for those studying at below UK bachelor’s degree level was reduced from three years to two in 2015. The change was intended to bring the permitted study period in line with the standard time spent by resident students studying at this level.

UK Chamber CEO Guy Platten has responded to the publication of the Department for Transport Seafarer Projections Review by calling on government to back its SMarT Plus proposal. The Department for Transport has this week published a study to assess the UK supply and demand for trained seafarers to fulfill roles at sea and onshore over the coming decade. The UK Seafarer Projections study identified a shortage of 3,000- 4,000 UK deck and engine officers, and 2,000 UK ratings by 2026. The report suggests that in order to avoid the shortfall the annual intake of UK officer trainees would need to more than double. Commenting on the findings, CEO Guy Platten commented, “This report highlights the need for decisive action if the future of the UK seafaring skills base is to be secured.

The UK shipping industry will create thousands of jobs for young people if Government increases funding for seafarer training, the UK Chamber of Shipping has said. The industry trains around 800 new cadets each year, but this could increase to 1200 under a new industry proposal that would see shipowners commit to employing cadets after their training is completed. Major employers including Shell and Carnival have already committed to the scheme. The scheme, documented in a business case presented to the Department for Transport and developed by the UK Chamber of Shipping, Merchant Navy Training Board and Nautilus International, calls for the Government to double seafarer training funding from £15m to £30m.

The UK Chamber of Shipping and the  Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) jointly hosted an Apprenticeship Seminar on the 11th October. The purpose of the event was to brief attendees from the industry about the Apprenticeship Levy and how apprenticeships can play a role in the shipping industry. The Levy which will come into effect in April 2016, has caused a great deal of concern across industry due to lack of clarity around how the levy may be implemented, how companies already training or looking to train apprentices might be affected and the potential differences in how the Levy will be implemented in England and the devolved regions. Recent guidelines from the Department for Education have begun to provide clarity on some of these issues.

The Hanjin Louisiana, one of the containerships caught up in the collapse of the South Korean shipping company Hanjin, has finally docked in Singapore after several weeks of uncertainty at sea. Among those onboard the containership were four Scottish cadets, who disembarked in Singapore on September 28 for flights back home to the U.K., BBC reports. The four trainee officers studying at the City of Glasgow College – Ruaridh Hanna, David Gorniak, Graeme Deacon and Gavin McPhail – were among an estimated 2…

UK Seafarer statistics launched today show a slight overall increase of 2% from 2015, rising to 23,380 at the end of June 2015. The total number of UK seafarers active at sea was estimated to be 23,380. The number of UK officers remained at 10,930 - largely unchanged from 2014. The total number of UK Ratings rose by 5% to around 8,830 – the first increase in the number of ratings since 2011. The number of officer cadets in training remained static at around 2000, with a small increase of new entrants under the SMarT scheme. The annual Seafarer Statistics are produced by the Department for Transport and reflect numbers as at the end of June 2015.

A new training program has been launched by Maersk Training that aims to minimize incidents through human error in marine environments. The course is designed to help offshore workers understand the impact of the human error in marine incidents, and enhance their leadership and management skills to prevent them. This course meets the latest mandatory requirements for approved training in the Human Element, Leadership and Management at Management level as directed by the STCW2010 convention and based on the Merchant Navy Training Board’s criteria.

The Enav Center recently delivered their first MCA approved Human Element, Leadership and Management (HELM) Course and are pleased to announce the addition of the HELM Course to their extensive list of training courses they have to offer. The course took over on year to develop and was only launched after significant market research and development by industry experts. The Human Element and Leadership (HELM) Course has been developed by Total HLM Solutions Ltd. in accordance with the Merchant Navy Training Board’s (MNTB) guidelines.

The U.K. Enav Center has partnered with Total HLM Solutions to provide Human Element Leadership and Management (HELM) course at Management Level which is in line with the Manila Amendments 2010 at their training center in Hampshire, U.K. The course will be available to the maritime industry from June 10, 2013. The HELM course is offered at two levels; a five day management level course for Masters and Chief Mates and later in the year a three day operational level course will be launched for newly qualified Officers and Officers under training from all branches. Having only recently been established by the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) the course profile provides ample opportunity to expand on the leadership, management and human aspects of life both at sea and ashore.

Videotel and the MTNB join forces to promote good practice in on board training and to simplify the training minefield. Every industry has its training needs. However the unique operating environment within the maritime sector, particularly on board a vessel, means that new recruits can be faced with a daunting array of training requirements and options. The Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) has responded to this, working with Videotel Marine International to launch a new familiarisation programme entitled On Board Training which showcases good practice in on board training…