Grenada has begun the process to establish an apprenticeship programme for the Marine Sector.
Chairman of the National Training Agency, Jason Fletcher and Chief Executive Officer of the NTA, Kingsley Morgan met with Chris Van der Hor of the New Zealand Marine and Composite Industry Training Organisation at the end of August to begin putting a plan in place.
The Marine Sector and the pleasure craft industry in Grenada has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years. It has however been recognized that for continued growth in the sector there is a need to provide training and certification opportunities for workers in the sector. It is imperative for sustained growth that the current workers possess the skillsets that are required to consistently provide the quality of service needed by clients and that as the workforce expands to meet the rise in demand for services, that new entrants are adequately trained to the requirements of industry.
It is against this background that a plan has been proposed for the implementation of an apprenticeship programme, to deliver training designed to increase productivity, efficiency, and the quality of workmanship in the sector.
New Zealand was chosen to advise on the local programme as the apprenticeship scheme developed and implemented by the New Zealand Marine and Composites Industry Training Organisation is recognized as one of the best such programmes internationally. It has resulted in New Zealand becoming a world leader in the pleasure craft industry.
Grenada is desirous of using the New Zealand programme as a model for the training and certification of employment in the pleasure craft industry. The NTA is therefore seeking to establish collaborative arrangements with New Zealand that would lead to the establishment of Grenada’s own apprenticeship programme. This apprenticeship programme would then serve as a model for establishing similar programmes in other local sectors.
While in Grenada Mr. Van der Hor met with several industry stakeholders to get an understanding of the training system and local marine industry while Grenada in turn sought to get an understanding of the New Zealand training system.
