Academies of IRS, Lloyd's Maritime, IBC Sign MOU

 

IRClass Academy of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding last month with Lloyd’s Maritime Academy (LMA) and IBC Academy (IBCA) that are part of Informa PLC in the UK. The objective of this collaboration is to deliver customised training solutions in specialist areas for Indian organisations as well as individuals in maritime and energy sectors.

IRClass Academy aims to emerge as a leader in professional development by partnering with industry and by collaborating with established providers of education and training services such as LMA and IBCA.

Informa was formed in 1998 when the IBC Group merged with the Lloyd’s of London Press (LLP) – publishers of Lloyd’s List the international shipping paper that dates back to its first edition in 1734 and the legendary London coffee house of Edward Lloyd. In 2004, Informa and the world’s leading academic publisher Taylor & Francis agreed to merge. More mergers and acquisitions followed and with a current annual turnover of US$ 1.8 billion, Informa plc is now the world’s leading provider of products and services in the fields of publishing, conferences, exhibitions and training.

India is widely acknowledged as a future growth engine for the global economy. India’s manufacturing, infrastructure and energy sectors have been receiving unprecedented levels of attention. On the human resources front, skills development and knowledge transfer have assumed a high priority.

Given this context, collaboration between IRClass Academy and LMA and IBCA is expected to contribute significantly to competency-building in maritime and energy sectors.

 C. Sriramamurthy, COO, IRS said, “When we organised an expert panel discussion earlier this year to identify the opportunities for professional development in maritime sector in India, several pointers emerged. These included: * The need to orient shipboard officers to shore-based roles; * Industry’s requirement of managerial skills; and * Aspirations of non-seafarers to be employed in maritime sector. All these needs can be met effectively by the IRClass Academy through collaborations such as these”.

“LMA and IBCA have recently delivered a bespoke workshop at the new dedicated IRClass Academy training facility on Offshore Oil & Gas Production Systems," commented Jeff Hearn, MD, LMA & IBCA. This is one example of the need to address best practice for India’s growing offshore sector in addition to the well-established maritime sector. LMA and IBCA are proud to work with a local partner in order to work with industry in India and which seeks to be world leaders in their respective fields, and through the acknowledgement that training is the best way forwards to meet said aspirations”.

The first activity to be taken up jointly under the MoU will be a one-day seminar on subsea systems and engineering, which will be delivered in Mumbai office of IRS during the last quarter of this year.