Maritime training for RI seamen

Maritime training for RI seamen

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Seafarers Association (KPI)
signed a memorandum of understanding on vocational training with
several maritime academies and oil company Pertamina on Saturday
to improve the quality of Indonesian seamen both at home and
overseas.

With the MOU, KPI, the maritime academies and Pertamina's
vocational training center will cooperate to provide training for
seamen and job seekers to be recruited by local and foreign
shipping companies.

Rev. Charles P. Edwards B., chairman of the Bina Bahtera Karya
Mandiri foundation that runs a maritime academy in Cilacap,
Central Java, said the college produced some 100 graduates
annually but most of them were still unemployed because they had
no access to work in local and foreign shipping companies.

"Most of graduates of our academy have the maritime skills but
only few of them were able to get employment after paying a large
sum of money to recruiting agencies," he said.

"Some, who were employed in foreign shipping companies paid
more than Rp 40 million (US$4,211) each to recruiting agencies
that enabled them to get the job."

Charles, a Catholic priest in Cilacap, said that with the MOU,
his foundation would cooperate with KPI to recruit the academy's
graduates to work in local and foreign shipping companies.

S. Sharma, representative of the International Transportation
Federation (ITF) in Indonesia, appreciated the MOU as an attempt
to improve the quality of Indonesian seafarers.

He said ITF had been active to provide protection for
Indonesian seamen and to give recommendations to numerous
developed countries to recruit Indonesian workers in their
shipping companies.

Hanafie, chairman of KPI, a trade union under the Federation
of All-Indonesian Workers Union (FSPSI), said the agreement was
much needed to improve the quality of Indonesian seafarers.

"The number of Indonesian seafarers has reached more than
870,000, but 70 percent of them have no appropriate skills and,
therefore, they are underpaid," he said.

He noted that many shipping companies required skilled
wielders, painters, crew and captains but Indonesia could not
meet the requirements due to the lack of skilled workers.

Much. Achmad, director of Pertamina's training center for ship
crews, said Pertamina also lacked skilled workers to be employed
as crew members, wielders and painters on its tankers. (rms)