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115 graduates complete maritime training at Transnet academy

Transnet National Ports Authority CEO Richard Valihu, graduate Beatrice Engelbrecht, Department of Public Enterprises acting director general Matsiesi Mokholo and Transnet chairperson Linda Mabaso

Transnet National Ports Authority CEO Richard Valihu, graduate Beatrice Engelbrecht, Department of Public Enterprises acting director general Matsiesi Mokholo and Transnet chairperson Linda Mabaso

20th April 2015

By: Shirley le Guern

Creamer Media Correspondent

  

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Transnet’s Maritime School of Excellence provided the ideal opportunity to provide skills development for South Africa and the rest of the subcontinent,” Department of Public Enterprises acting director-general Matsietsi Mokholo said at a Maritime School of Excellence graduation ceremony, in Durban, on Monday.

Adding her voice to the growing outcry against xenophobia across the country, as well as in Durban specifically, she said all persons attending the Maritime School of Excellence from outside South Africa had the right to be trained in the country and should enjoy the same freedom of association as their South African colleagues.

There were nine Namibian graduates among the 115 graduates that celebrated the completion of their training. They were trained as master port operators on behalf of the Namibian Ports Authority.

Transnet had also assisted with training people from Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and even India. South Africa also had agreements in place with port authorities in Mozambique and the Reunion Islands, signalling that South Africa was an important part of the continent, she said.

This was the second graduation ceremony to be held by the Maritime School of Excellence, which is a merger of the School of Ports and the School of Port Operations. 

In addition to the Maritime School of Excellence, Transnet had consolidated its training in campuses throughout South Africa under the School of Rail, School of Engineering, School of Security and School of Leadership and Business Training.

Graduates included 13 marine pilots, 21 tug masters, three chief engineers, nine engineering technicians, 16 master port operators and 36 operators who would operate ship-to-shore cranes, rubber-tyred gantry cranes and straddle carriers. 

Mokholo said there was no reason for trainees from other African countries to attend maritime training schools in Amsterdam or other European centres with the Maritime School of Excellence in South Africa. Besides the main campus in Durban, there were satellite campuses in Richards Bay, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

Newly appointed Transnet acting CE Siyabonga Gama said that, as part of Transnet’s Market Demand Strategy, the parastatal had committed to spending at least R7.7-billion on training. This included R4.7-billion on bursaries. He said R2-billion had already been spent across all business units over the past two years.

Transnet intended to establish the Maritime School of Excellence as the leader in maritime training in Africa and was set to change the face of transportation, he said.

Gama said it was important to upskill and train young people and create a skills pipeline in order to address both current and future skills shortages.

He said that the substantial number of people who had already been trained by Transnet included 3 000 artisans and 1 000 technicians, while 5 900 trainees in maritime and rail had acquired cargo handling skills.

Of the 115 graduates who received their certificates from members of the Transnet executive in Durban on Monday, 90% were black and from disadvantaged backgrounds, while 25% of the graduates were female. They were now employed in Transnet’s port operations throughout South Africa.

The amalgamation of Transnet’s training facilities together with its increased focus on training and upskilling employees was intended to ensure an integrated approach to training delivery across the group, while at the same time benefitting from economies of scale through shared services in areas like human resources and procurement, he added.

Gama concluded by noting that, through prioritising training, Transnet had already made great strides towards realising its transformation agenda.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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