Dutch Minister Visits Damen Cape Town

Dutch Minister Ploumen visits Damen Shipyards Cape Town and honors newly qualified welders and boilermakers

The Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, and a Dutch Trade Delegation visited Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) on Tuesday, July 8, 2014. The goal was to get an impression of the way South African and Dutch companies and entrepreneurs are working together. In addition, the newly qualified pupils from DSCT’s in-house Apprentice Training Center received their certificates from the minister. All qualified artisans, as they now are, are offered a job at Damen’s South African shipyard.

Minister Ploumen and the other guests were welcomed by Damen Shipyards Cape Town staff, including board members Sam Montsi, Friso Visser and SefaleMontsi-Zuma. The proceedings started with a tour of the DSCT yard which included a viewing of the ATD2909 which is currently under construction for the South African Navy, a look at the impressive FCS 5009 Patrol Vessel and a viewing of ‘Shed 6’ which is currently being constructed and is due to be completed in September 2014. The addition of Shed 6 to DSCT’s collection of production halls will add 1,280m² of invaluable production floor space to DSCT’s production portfolio.

VIP guests and staff gathered in the boardroom for a certificate ceremony that honored 20 apprentices from the Damen Shipyards Cape Town Apprenticeship Training Center, who have recently completed and passed their welding or boiler making trade tests. DSCT’s Apprenticeship Training Center is accredited by MerSETA(Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority) for both the Welding and Boilermaking trades. The Apprenticeship Training Center invigorates the DSCT yard with new generations of practitioners of up to 15 new apprentices each year. In total there are 39 employees who have benefited from the Apprenticeship Training Center, some of which have been apprentices and some are yet to qualify.

DSCT aims to be a learning organization which attracts, trains and retains the best in the field. The company invites and encourages employees to improve their skills to get the maximum benefit from shared knowledge, competencies and talents. Training does not stop at artisan level and therefore the company offers its employees training in budgeting, safety, first aid, firefighting, scaffolding, crane driving and more. “We believe in constant self-improvement for a healthy and competitive company, and so various training courses are offered at all levels within the organization,” said HR manager Heather Dukas. These initiatives benefit the company’s employees as individuals and the shipyard as a whole.

Damen’s policy of building of vessels on stock also contributes to DSCT’s Apprenticeship program in that a constant workflow is maintained, which translates to constant levels of local employment and shipyard productivity.

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