Maritime college for Richards Bay

BY next year, Richards Bay will become home to South Africa’s first public Maritime Academy.

Students between the ages of 16 and 21, with a minimum of a Grade 9 certificate with Maths and Science as subjects, will have their pick of a long list of technical diplomas, including Marine Engineering Studies, Nautical Sciences, Naval Architecture, Fleet Operations Management, Cruise Ships and International Trade.

The proposed Umfolozi TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) campus will require some 52 hectares of land for an administration block, simulation building, maritime fire-fighting facility, lecture rooms, boat and training vessel storage, swimming pool, multi-purpose field, four combo courts, stores and warehouses and a health and fitness centre.

One 3.63ha site, situated between the Zululand Yacht Club and the blind canal, has already been earmarked for the academy’s water based activities.

For non-water activities, alternative sites must still be identified by the City of uMhlathuze Municipality.

Perfect for Phakisa

The City’s EXCO last week said the land requirements respond directly to the recently launched Operation Phakisa – an initiative driven by government to fast-track the country’s largely untapped ocean economy.

According to government estimates, SA’s oceans have the potential to contribute up to R177-billion to the country’s GDP and create just over one million jobs by 2033.

‘South Africa is surrounded by a vast ocean, which has not fully taken advantage of the immense potential of this resource,’ said the EXCO motivation statement.

‘Richards Bay has been selected as one of the towns surrounded by ocean and the proposed location of the site is the most suitable option as the school’s skills are water based.

‘Having this academy will also mean the City will have a land mark for guided tourism activities for everyone, especially school pupils.’

Umfolozi TVET College has been in collaborative discussions with the Kalmar Academy in Sweden to ensure all the boxes are ticked to raise relevant skills for a comprehensive workforce in the maritime industry.

Umfolozi added there are no TVETs in SA offering seafarer training or shore-based training for the maritime and associated industries, leaving most aspiring learners to enrol for programs that are ‘more generic than contextualised in the maritime environment’.

‘As a nation, the offering of these programs will put South Africa a step closer to becoming a maritime nation,’ said the college.