It is a known fact that South African Seamen are a sought after commodity by the International Maritime Sector, as they are trustworthy, loyal and hardworking at most times.
During the past 16 years the Academy of Maritime Medicine, have trained literally thousands of seamen from many local and international Maritime Companies, and over the years the staff have come to know them personally by name. It has also been found that many of these seamen are now at retiring age and even a few of them have past away over recent years, leaving a vast vacuum in the maritime fraternity. If nothing is done about it soon they will become a dying breed and disappear completely. We need to find replacements for these seamen as soon as possible and re-grow the maritime sector back to where it once was.
In the past, the bigger companies applied for cadets through various means in the media, and they were then employed and trained for the task at hand. We believe that this was the backbone of the maritime staffing fraternity. Things have changed over the years, as these companies have become complacent with the fact that these potential cadets now have to get their own training before they are considered for employment. This has now begun to erode the backbone of the seamen fraternity as a lot of good potential seamen cannot afford the training and they are seeking employment elsewhere.
The main objective behind the South African Coast Guard Training Institute (The Institute) is to give school leavers who are financially disadvantaged the chance to return and rebuild the backbone so sorely needed. The Institute will give them the opportunity to obtain the basic training needed for the task at hand and then try to place them into full time employment in the maritime or fishing sectors.
It has been found that school leavers who cannot find work become extremely disillusioned and they begin mixing with the wrong crowd of friends, which ultimately terminates in drugs/gangs and finally crime. The Institute wishes to give these youngsters a chance to prove themselves as they are ultimately good chldren and we feel that there a good potential amongst them.