Colombo port staff to become professionals
View(s):The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) are looking at working together to promote professionals for the sector and ethics needed to be adopted.During a meeting with the SLPA Chairman Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama and ICS International Chairman Capt. Richard Brook-Hart discussed the idea for the Colombo port to utilise some of the institute’s courses was highlighted.
The visiting International Chairman was in the country recently to give away awards at the 20th Annual Awards Ceremony of the Sri Lanka Branch.
This would ensure that port employees without adequate professional training would be able to obtain one while on the job by attending courses designed for all levels like clerical and senior management, it was stated.
In this respect, the ICS would be involved in conducting the relevant courses designed for the industry specific requirements and for those employees at the different levels.
With the aim of promoting professionals and ethics the main emphasis of ICS was to attract school leavers to join the industry.
Capt. Brook-Hart said that would provoke interest in the shipping sector and eventually lead to a number of those already employed to take the full examination thereby gaining a professional qualification and opening doors to all aspects of the industry. He highlighted that while the Colombo port may have their own internal training programmes however it would be restricted only to functionings within the port.
In this respect, it was pointed out that it was necessary to ensure that these people be trained to comprehend the entire gamut of operations and management and new practices adopted within the industry globally on a wide range of topics.
In addition the ICS was also looking at ensuring that the institute would be engaged with the Vocational Training Institute with which they have been conducting talks lately.
The ICS has from this year increased the number of examinations it would conduct globally to twice annually in April and November due to increased demand, it was stated.
Capt. Brook-Hart said they had also received an increase in its membership to 4000 while the student intake has also increased year on year by 30 per cent. Sri Lanka has about 140 ICS members.