Dockyard employees join learning curve

Ship repair company Elgin Brown & Hamer (EBH) Namibia said last week it has worked hard to become an employer of choice. Pivotal in its high profile as a preferred employer, is the company’s commitment to develop its employees creating opportunities for individuals to advance their careers.
“As a key player in the pan-African and international shipping industry, we have long placed training and career development at the top of our agenda. However, this is becoming increasingly vital in order for us to continue to compete in the global space and be able to offer a world class service,” said Hannes Uys, Chief Executive Officer at EBH Namibia.
With people development at the core of its corporate culture, EBH Namibia has invested valuable time in recent months on several training initiatives. From management to welding, leadership to rigging, finance to safety, many of the company’s personnel have been put through their paces.

“Like most other industries, the shipping industry is changing all the time.  EBH Namibia is also on a growth path, particularly in the wake of the arrival of the Panamax floating dock in July last year which has substantially increased our docking capacity and cemented our reputation as a quality, capable international marine service provider,” said Uys.
In light of this, and in order to keep abreast with the latest technologies, the company recently trained its vessel managers in the new practices of dry docking. This training was facilitated by a South African engineering company specialising in coastal consulting and harbour engineering.
At the same time, four semi-skilled riggers were sent to South Africa for skills upgrading in order to become fully qualified rigging artisans. The training is being conducted over a period of six months, ending in March 2014, and is being facilitated by MCD Training Centre, a subsidiary company of the DCD Group.
In a further bid to up-skill and grow the careers of its employees, 21 welders were trained and tested on expiry of their codes; 17 (new and old) AA Committee members successfully completed labour-related training facilitated by the Office of the Employment Equity Commissioner; a total of 71 supervisors attended a leadership course titled ‘Communicating for Leadership Success’ which was facilitated by Deloitte South Africa during December, and 4 candidates graduated from a Management Development Programme which took place in Windhoek during November 2013.