Day of the Seafarer 2016 & Launch of Three SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programmes (ELP) for the Maritime Sector

To pay tribute to seafarers around the world, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has designated 25 June as the Day of The Seafarer. This year, IMO has chosen “At Sea for All” as the campaign theme to let the world know how and why seafarers are indispensable to everyone.

In conjunction with the celebration this year, Guest-of-Honour, Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State (SMS), Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Transport, launched three new SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programmes (ELP) for the Maritime Sector – Seafaring Deck Officer, Seafaring Marine Engineer and Port Operations Officer.

Jointly developed by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Singapore Workforce Development Agency, Singapore Polytechnic and participating companies, these programmes are targeted at fresh polytechnic graduates and aim to give them a head start in their careers. The programme allows trainees to acquire relevant work experience and accelerates their learning process through facilitated training, in-house structured programmes and mentorship.

As part of the launch event, SMS Teo went onboard KOTA SABAS and visited Pasir Panjang Terminal 5 Control Centre, where she interacted with the ELP Trainees who were undergoing on-the-job training.

To promote continuous learning and encourage young officers and seafarers to pursue a career in the maritime industry, the day also saw the annual presentation of book prizes to top students of Maritime Diploma and Certificate of Competency (COC) courses from Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA) and Wavelink Maritime Institute (WMI).