New cohort of Hout Bay Skippers
CAPE TOWN – The Hout Bay fishing community is elated as more than 60 fishers received formal training against the sought after South African Maritime Safety Authority accredited under 25ton Skippers qualification.
The Skippers qualification greatly improves safety at sea together with the opportunity for upward growth and mobility of persons pursuing careers at sea. Moreover, it provides credence to long-standing fishers who are well-experienced but have never previously been holders of the coveted SAMSA Skippers qualification.
The Skippers training as well as associated costs including medical examination are fully funded by the Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA) in partnership with the SA Fisheries Development Fund and ORE Consultants. In compliance with SAMSA’s training regulations the fishers were divided into four training intervention groups over the months of February and March 2023.
The project manager, Dr Mark Botha, notes that consistent with the ethos of the project funders training took place within the fishing community of Hout Bay at the local boat club. Moreover, James Denton, the SAMSA accredited examiner enlisted the services of, Walter Faulmann, a local Hout Bay renowned and seasoned SAMSA qualified Skipper to co-facilitate the training. Skipper Faulmann is held in high regard as a positive role model in the Hout Bay fishing community. His contribution proved invaluable as he provided much needed local input and insight into the programme.
Malcolm Alexander from TETA has advised that “as TETA we are delighted with the response from the Hout Bay community and look to a longstanding relationship with the community and our training implementation partners”.
Mary-Lou Harry, the Group Human Resources Director at Sea Harvest; “welcomed the skills development initiative and training sessions as being congruent with Sea Harvest and its parent company Brimstone Investment Corporation’s approach to empower and advance skills development and training within coastal fishing communities”. The training organisers are planning a certification ceremony for the last week in April 2023.
