SAJ Apprenticeship Programme - Reliable port labour supplier

Shipping Association of Jamaica stevedores headed for duties aboard the 'Hoegh Trader' car vessel.

In 2009, the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ) had the foresight to develop an apprenticeship programme for the benefit of the shipping industry. The programme would satisfy the triple objectives of cementing the association's relevance as an efficient provider of labour creating opportunities for young school leavers to gain jobs in the shipping industry while ensuring the consistent availability of a trained workforce for deployment to Port Bustamante. This deliberate move by the SAJ signalled its understanding of the changing dynamics of the shipping industry.

Four years after its inception, the apprenticeship programme stands tested and proven. Having received accreditation as a training organisation in 2011 from the National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) for its core offering of Level One stevedoring, the SAJ also provides an avenue for certification of its employees in both the technical and operational areas required for performing the role of stevedore.

SAJ's general manager, Trevor Riley, who conceptualised the programme, said he is extremely pleased with the way the apprenticeship scheme has unfolded. He said that while the programme currently focuses on stevedoring, the SAJ is prepared to partner with the Government to develop apprenticeship in other skill areas in preparation for its expansion plans for the industry.

lucrative opportunities

'Dry-docking, for example, while not totally new to Jamaica, has not realised its great potential. It offers potentially very lucrative opportunities for Jamaica. Earlier this year, a group of us visited Dubai and had the benefit of seeing how logistics have developed there. Their drydock employs 11,000 people. If the Government is to get its plans off the ground, they will need to move quickly to ensure appropriately skilled workers are available to man operations," said Riley.

The lashing and unlashing of containers aboard vessels, stripping and stuffing of warehoused containers as well as the transfer of motor vehicles from and between vessels, whether in transhipment operations or destined for the domestic market, are among some of the duties of carried out by stevedores and for which the apprenticeship programme provides adequate preparation.

Luckresha Ramsamugh Baker, training and development manager at the SAJ, pointed out that "due to the nuances in the shipping industry, the programme was used as a means of customising a training solution for stevedores, while at the same time allowing the association to have within it a pool of experienced employees of different ages, giving us relative ease in planning for the needs of expanding operations on the port".

a game-changer

The Apprenticeship Programme was a game-changer for 23-year-old Onardo Fowler, who was recruited by the SAJ in 2010. He shared that he left his home in Montego Bay after graduating from high school in pursuit of a career and a better life in Kingston.

"I have achieved much more for myself than I ever expected. I started out in the programme training to be a stevedore, and when it was done, I realised that there was further that I could go," he said. Pointing out as well that his time as an apprentice prepared him well for taking advantage of other opportunities at the SAJ, Fowler proudly added, "While working as a stevedore, I got the chance to do further training and I am now a gantry crane operator."

Leroy Bartley, 30, another graduated apprentice, was employed in the shipping industry as a security officer before joining the SAJ. He recalled being assigned by his employers to the SAJ's Recruiting Centre and holding aspirations of one day working directly in port-related activities. Now, with three years experience under his belt as a stevedore, Bartley said he is happy to be counted as a shipping industry professional.

"I got the opportunity to learn a new skill and provide for my family at the same time and also to be part of an industry that is worldwide," he said. He, too, plans on using other avenues provided through the SAJ to gain additional skills in straddle carrier or gantry crane operations.

Calling it a "tremendous success", Riley said that the SAJ is "proud of the growth of the apprenticeship programme over the years as well as for the deepening of the partnerships with the terminal operators and stevedoring companies".

According to Ramsamugh Baker, there are 126 apprentices currently enrolled, who, based on their performance, should matriculate to the NCTVET programme for certification. "We are happy to be able to provide these individuals with a skill for life and the opportunity to earn while immersed in learning."