<< Back

Videotel calls for Made to Measure Training

Presented by Leonard Holder - Extra Master, MPhil, FRIN, FNI.
Warden and Past Master, The Honourable Company of Master Mariners, London

'TAILORED' training is quite a good description for the services needed by the maritime industries. The STCW Convention may look at first sight like a 'one size fits all' approach, but if it is applied properly, it should fit the individual seafarer for his or her specialist ship.

Some people are easier to train than others. It depends not only upon basic education but also upon aptitude for practical work and attitude towards the job. People who say 'I am only here for the money' are very difficult to train.

As with buying a suit, the first visit to the tailor to be 'measured up' equates to initial interviews and assessments, in which knowledge and past experience can be assessed. Recent years have seen an increase in the use of computer-based assessments, but the interviewer would do well to seek help from the management series on interviewing and assessment techniques.

Choosing the right material is very important. Should it be DVD, VCD, video-led packages, computer-based learning or an internet-based package? Using the wrong media can make the training more difficult, longer or even useless.

Matching the delivery to the language and culture of the recipient is equally important.

While the training is taking place, tutorial assessments are needed to check progress, and to guide and support the trainee. Ideally this is done one –to-one with a mentor or trainer, but in today’s busy world CD-ROM packages such as Videotel Interactive do a very effective job, finishing with the final measurement to ensure the lessons have been learned.

Finally there is teamwork. If a football team turned out in kit that was all different some old, some new, in different colours and styles would you have confidence in them? Similarly, the final measure of good maritime training is that the whole team are trained to work as a team.

The consequences of not having 'tailored training' for new entrants and older people alike are a lack of trust, inability to delegate, gaps in knowledge and performance, extra pressure on competent crew members and survival by luck rather than by risk assessment and planning.

Beware of training, which is 'glossy' on the outside, cheap, and does not stand the test of time. The maritime industries are in danger of contracting the sickness of a 'tick-box' culture, in which the important thing is to tick the box rather than understand the job. That can quickly lead to disaster.

To help managers and senior officers plan, deliver, evaluate and record training, a be-spoke tailored approach is what the industry needs.

"To help managers and senior officers plan, deliver, evaluate and record training there is a new company on the block: Videotel Training Services. They offer the bespoke tailored training the industry needs."

I would welcome your views:

© Leonard Holder 2006

This article was in Lloyds List 21st March 2006

<< Back