“Investing in skills training that leads to meaningful career growth opportunities for our employees is vital,” says Russell Hall, Sea Harvest fleet executive.
Sea Harvest is one of South Africa’s leading producers of Cape hake, with Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification obtained for South Africa’s hake industry in 2004.
The company’s commitment to skills development extended to sending four of its fleet engineers to Japan in 2015 for specialised training in servicing one of its freezer vessels, the Harvest Miriam Makeba’s two-stroke Yanmar engine, which emits less gas compared to other engines.
Lindile Vingca, David Williams, Pieter Vraagom and Kenneth Steven, who are responsible for the maintenance and engine refit of all Sea Harvest vessels, returned to Saldanha with a greater technical understanding of the state of the art Yanmar engine. It was Williams’ second overseas training trip in his career at Sea Harvest, having attended another training course in Germany previously.
For some of the apprentices the opportunity to join Sea Harvest and develop their skills is a significant and crucial first step in turning away from a former life in gangsterism and crime.
“As one of the single largest employers in Saldanha Bay and the West Coast District, we believe in creating sustainable employment and developing as many staff as possible who have demonstrated a willingness and commitment to improving themselves and their careers. Their growth in turn has a positive impact on families and local communities on the West Coast, especially as they become role models within their communities. This commitment to training and development extends to all our staff, not only those in the fleet division,” says Hall.
