SINT MAARTEN (POINT BLANCHE) – 20 stevedores working for St. Maarten Shipping & Stevedoring NV (SSS), completed six-days of training carried out by the Institute for Industrial Solutions (IIS) led by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Trainer Osric Forrest, and Technical Expert/Assessor Radcliffe Spence.
The certificates were presented by Lilian Hohl, CMA CGM local area representative in the presence of George Pelgrim, President of St. Maarten Shipping & Stevedoring. CMA CGM is the third largest shipping company in the world and one of the port’s biggest customers.
Each stevedore has successfully completed training and assessment activities and retained the required knowledge and competencies as outlined in The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) Safety Standard 29 CFR 1910-178 guidelines for General Industry and Stevedoring Foundation Skills Training Standards.
Each stevedore was awarded with a certificate of competence in Stevedoring Foundation Skills – Level 1; a certificate of training in Fundamentals of OHS for Maritime Port Operations; and a certificate of training in Lashing and Unlashing Operations.
Businessman George Pelgrim President of St. Maarten Shipping & Stevedoring NV said he is very proud of what the seasoned Stevedores have been able to accomplish. The initiative came from Pelgrim in collaboration with the Institute for Industrial Solutions for a program that would ‘Create the Total Port Worker.’
The training started on April 5 and concluded on April 10.
“This newly forged relationship between IIS for workforce development solutions and performance management and SSS is designed to further improve the company’s performance and adhere to international standards, main high employee morale, and create a long-term formal structure for training, employee development, and talent management along with leadership development in the areas that we provide services in such as maritime transportation, warehousing, and distribution.
“This training and workforce development is part of Intermar Group of Companies long term strategic plan to increase investment in human resource care and development thus creating a sustainable workforce which is part and parcel of our national human resource advancement,” Pelgrim said.
Maritime transportation and allied services play a vital role in ensuring citizen satisfaction, tourism product development and efficient service standards delivery across St. Maarten.
One key factor that can significantly impact the success of maritime services is investing in training and development of employees at all levels. Equipping the country’s port worker with the necessary attitude, skills and knowledge, businesses can enhance their overall customer experience, meet international standards, realize business continuity, and drive long-term success.
“We have really been making an effort to improve Port, Maritime, Transportation, Logistics, Warehousing and Distribution service offered across the region,” said Forrest. “Our aim is to provide ongoing training, assessment and certification for the entire industry, objective is to keep the Caribbean Region operations at International Standard.”
