More Training Strategies Needed For Port Workers

Due to the Dominican Republic’s lack of university-level training for ports and harbor management, it is difficult to find and train high level, executive, division chiefs, supervisors and analysts. As a result, it is necessary to establish a pertinent training strategy and to establish guidelines for training that will fulfill these needs from the point of view of the country’s competitiveness.

The objective of the seminar was to become familiar with the existing instruction requirements in terms of ports and existing international training standards.

This was confirmed by Julián Cruz Herasme, Administrator of the Competitiveness Fund of the National Competitiveness Council. He was speaking at an international seminar on port and harbor development, its impact on foreign relations and the training of staff as a competitive strategy.

This activity was coordinated by the National Competitiveness Council (CNC), APEC University, the Dominican Port Authority, the Special Ports Security Corps and the Dominican Navy with collaboration from the Inter-American Ports Commission of the Organization of American States (OAS).

The objective of the seminar was to become familiar with the existing instruction requirements in terms of ports and existing international training standards. The importance of this sector in the general economy is well known, as was expressed in a CNC press release.

Cruz Herasme advocated for this training, pointing out “the way to achieve this goal is a joint effort from the private and public sectors to create rules and administrative conditions that will stimulate investment and advanced personal training within the [ports] system.” He suggested that, in addition, business people in this sector should reach an agreement with INFOTEP (Provincial and Regional Directions of Public Health and Social Assistance) so that this “sector can expect to receive 1% payment and can be compensated with the type of training offer it needs.”

It is understood that there is a need to offer undergraduate degrees, masters and post-graduate courses in port security and, more importantly, in topics related to laws governing stowaways, environmental issues, foreign trade, labor risks, bio-terrorism and the management of dangerous substances, among others.

For this to go forward, it is necessary “to reach agreements with universities abroad and international organizations, with the idea of creating a national teaching staff to promote the curriculum we are offering.” In addition, a coordinated effort between both public and private sectors should be initiated “in an effort to promote our training proposals on a national and international level which will allow us to broaden our market’s goals.”

Cruz Herasme understands that the training must “support and promote the provision of high value auxiliary maritime services based on research and development, such as computer programs and maritime applications in the area of telecommunications that offer online platforms to be used to facilitate an efficient exchange of information between ports, exporters, importers, cargo management companies and shipping lines.”

He added that there is a need “to create a national maritime culture, sensitized to the young people of the country so that they may acquire an effective appreciation of the activities and contributions of the National Maritime Sector, especially the ports system and port security.”

The meeting was chaired by Luís Taveras, President of the Dominican Port Authority (APORDOM). Also participating was Justo Pedro Castellanos, Rector of APEC University, Julián Cruz from the National Competitiveness Council and Carlos M. Gallegos, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Ports Commission of the Organization of American States (OAS).

Dominican specialist Lludelis Espinal was in charge of the first part of the meeting. Espinal discussed the impact of maritime and ports development on trade and commerce in the Dominican Republic.

“to create a national maritime culture, sensitized to the young people of the country so that they may acquire an effective appreciation of the activities and contributions of the National Maritime Sector, especially the ports system and port security.”

Later the OAS representative talked about the experience of education and instruction in the Maritime and Ports Sector in terms of Human Resources in Latin America.

There was also a panel discussion on workforce training as a strategic competitive element in the ports and maritime sector. The panelists included Julián Cruz of FONDEC; Jeffrey Rannik, President of the Navigators Association; Vice Admiral Homero Lajara Solas, Director of CESEP; Luis Taveras, President of APORDOM; Luis Emilio Rodríguez, President of Acruport and Vice Admiral Julio Cesar Ventura Bayonet, Head of the Dominican Navy.

Julián Cruz, from FONDEC