Tailored training leads to satisfaction

Co-ordinating the training requirements of P&O CruisesÕ and Princess CruisesÕ entire fleet services personnel is no easy task. William Salmon, training co-ordinator for both, has a budget of £1 million ($1.64 million) to provide training for over 2,000 deck, electro-technical, engineering, and medical officers each year.

The addition of such ships as Sea Princess, Sun Princess, and Dawn Princess to the fleet brought escalating demands from technical managers onboard for increased non-statutory training. In response to this, a dedicated training department was born to co-ordinate training with colleges, institutions and equipment manufacturers. In many cases the training being sought by technical managers for crew is a step beyond the generic training offered by manufacturers as part of the installation package. Particularly from an operational safety viewpoint, managers continue to highlight the necessity for more specific and extensive training for fleet personnel.

Although equipment manufacturers run standard courses, most are prepared to tailor them to meet the specific demands of the customer, and Mr Salmon says that in his experience manufacturers are more than accommodating. Feedback from technical managers onboard is essential though, as it highlights the areas needing attention. It allows the training co-ordinators to approach training institutions and equipment manufacturers armed with specific requirements. Technical managers also play an important role in evaluating the content of standard courses, and whether they are sufficient. In certain cases, it proves valuable for the training provider, especially colleges and training centres, to carry out onboard visits in order to gain more product familiarity, says Mr Salmon.