Africa Maritime Training and Employment Pool (AMTEP) recently held the inaugural conference hosted by Elethu Marine at Umhlanga, in Durban.

The purpose of the conference was to build Africa’s maritime talent pipeline through pooled training and placement partnerships.

Various stakeholders were part of the conference namely, EThekwini Maritime Cluster (EMC), Durban University of Technology, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal, and Southern Africa Maritime & Logistics Experts.

One of the main objectives of the conference was to reconcile the disparity between the demand for and supply of Africa maritime competencies; and facilitate collaboration between maritime authorities, training institutions, ship owners, and industry partners.

Speaking to EMC, Director of Business Development at Elethu Marine, Siphosenkosi Mthembu, said the purpose of the conference is to address the challenges faced by maritime graduates.

“We want to address the challenges faced by maritime professionals, particularly sea farers who struggle to secure berth on board vessels after graduation. It doesn’t end there, we have officials who are struggling to find employment even though they are qualified,” said Mthembu.

He added that the challenge is widespread and that AMTEP is closely monitoring it. He further noted that they are working with partners within the pool to address the issue in the short term. However, he indicated that longer-term interventions are also being developed to address the matter sustainably.