First group of maritime students leave for Colombo training |28 June 2014

A first cohort of 18 students from the Seychelles Maritime Training Centre (MTC) leave Seychelles today to undergo training in Colombo.

They were presented with their certificates and airline tickets by the chief executive of the Seychelles Petroleum Company Limited (Sepec), Conrad Benoiton, during a ceremony at the company’s training room yesterday.

The ceremony was held in the presence of  parents of the students, high Sepec officials, MTC director Captain Bandara, a professor provided by Colombo International and Engineering College (Cinec) in the field of cooperation between Sri Lanka and Seychelles.

It follows President James Michel’s official visit to Sri Lanka in 2012, when he also visited the Cinec maritime campus and had discussions with the board of directors and top management with regard to the provision of maritime studies for Seychellois students.

The students will be following a pre sea training course for engine rating for three months at the Cinec, a prestigious maritime college which has won World Class Global Performance Excellence Award in 2012 among many other reputable awards.

The students will have a feel of how it is to work on a tanker after their course. Their training will feature nautical knowledge; theory and practice of seamanship; safety; prevention of environmental and marine pollution to name a few.

In a short speech Mr Benoiton told the students what is expected of them during their time in Colombo and advised them to turn that opportunity into specific skill areas they want to perfect in.
He acknowledged Cinec for managing MTC and for continuing the programme in Colombo.

He told them this three-month pre sea course will give them very wide exposure of various activities that take place on a tanker so that they will have a universal basis of understanding of what goes on, why such things are done and how much they can contribute from the exposure and training that they will receive during the three-month period.
“Be ready for the challenge – take it!” Mr Benoiton advised the students.

Sabrina Marguerite and Daniel Lewis, two students among the group, expressed their appreciation and pride for forming part of the first group of MTC students to get the opportunity to attend such a course overseas.

Sabrina would like to see more girls taking up the course. As for Daniel he has always wanted a career in navigation and he is ready to prove himself now that Sepec and Cinec have offered him that opportunity to move forward towards his dream career. He intends to be a deck cadet afterwards.