Challenges and solutions facing the maritime training sector will be discussed at the first Maritime Education & Training (MET) conference, which will be hosted by the South African International Maritime Institute (Saimi) from November 14 to 17, in Cape Town.
The aim of the conference is to find maritime education and training solutions for South Africa that are relevant to local conditions and based on international best practice in a global industry.
The next generation of mariners must be as fluent in using technology as they are at reading the wind, weather and waves, says Saimi CEO Professor Malek Pourzanjani.
“Technology is all-pervasive, impacting on all aspects of economic and human activity. There is a need to ensure that South African and African maritime education and training meets the needs of the global maritime industry that has already embraced digitalisation,” he says.
He adds that training for seafarers and other sectors of the maritime economy must meet and go beyond current standards so that qualified South Africans can compete on the international maritime job market.
“All sectors of the maritime industry are facing common challenges with training ‘Generation Alpha’, who will make far greater use of technology than any generation before it.”
Pourzanjani states that training institutions should offer simulator-based competency assessments, combined with blended learning, which is a combination of online and classroom courses.