The Barbados Community College (BCC) is set to offer a maritime training program in the near future.

Made public on October 8th, the BCC co-designed the National Maritime Training and Employment Programme (NATMARTEP) in partnership with the Barbados Maritime Transport Administration, signing the official documents that morning.

In addition to the BCC, the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI) and the Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity (BIMAP) also signed off on the documents, adding their institutions to the list of schools offering the program.

BCC Chairman, Dr. The Hon. Allyson Leacock, spoke on the significance of the occasion and highlighted the opportunities that would become available to graduates of the course.

“In a Caribbean that is deepening freedom of movement for workers, countries that train best will place best.”

She emphasised that the program would not restrict its applicants to work aboard ships but would instead provide a holistic understanding of the industry, including nursing, port health, green shipping operations, and more.

“The world’s ports are opening, and your name is on the manifest.”

The ceremony began with an address from Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Ian Gooding-Edghill, who congratulated his team and the college, stating that NATMARTEP is another step towards ensuring Barbados meets international maritime standards.

“When we sign this agreement today, we are also inking our agreement to continued international maritime compliance through elevating the BCC, BIMAP, and the SJPI to the status of maritime compliance facilitators.”

Also in attendance was BCC’s Registrar, Mr. Roger Worrell, who was optimistic about the program’s success, explaining that it would provide students of the college a pathway into a