Vietnam has a very long coastline of more than 3,000 km, stretching from North to South. In the last 10 years, this advantage plus with ports, maritime services have motivated the development of Vietnam’s coastal economy. To make use of available advantages, it is essential to have well-trained maritime manpower including operation officers, seamen, etc. UT-STC (Maritime Education and Human Resources Center) is a suitable solution for the demand.
UT-STC is a joint-venture education project between the Netherlands and Vietnam, of which the University of Transport HCMC and the STC-Group (Rotterdam) play the key role of the project.
The STC-Group (the majority shareholder of the joint venture UT-STC) has been operating in Vietnam since 1993. In these 16 years over 300 Vietnamese teachers have been educated and trained in all kinds of courses in the maritime and transport field, both in Vietnam and in The Netherlands.
UT-STC provides professional training and courses for young people and adults who either want to work or who already work in the dynamic world of shipping and transport, thus delivering well-trained and experienced maritime seafarers for vessels all over the world. Mr. Erik Hietbrink, General Director of UT-STC said: “International acceptance is very difficult for Vietnamese seafarers. In addition to the curriculum at the University of Transport, we train the students in maritime English, simulator training as well as in practical and operational skills, all in full compliance with international requirements by the IMO and the STCW treaty. For completion, seatime is required, a means of gaining competency and a powerful assessment tool.
Onboard experience has traditionally been required as a practical necessity for learning the skills of a merchant marine deck and engineer officer. It requires a minimum period of service in the deck department with prerequisite service in bridge watch keeping duties before a prospective deck officer can be certified as officer in charge of a navigational watch. The same applies for the marine engineering department. During his sea time as a cadet the prospective marine engineer will get familiar with all the complex engineering, electrical and maintenance systems on board, before the cadet can be certified as an officer in charge of an engine room watch. What we offer in Vietnam is to help Vietnamese seafarers be internationally recognized and accepted by international vessels owners and companies”.
Along with the development of a port system in Vietnam, Vietnam will develop a domestic fleet. Thus, the maritime power is an important element in the international seaman supply market. In this background, UT-STC has under contract and successfully trained and upgraded over 250 students of the Transport University of HCMC (UT).
The scholarships, which includes additional training in (maritime) English, operational skills, simulator training, clothing, book-funding, school fees and social and study assistance, amounts up to over USD 800,000. The scholarships include 12 months of seatime as a cadet with a monthly allowance on board of at least USD 450, and a job guarantee upon successful completion.
At the moment approximately 50% of the 250 students are completing their seatime on board and the first Vietnamese cadets are now becoming officers on board of European based, global operating shipping companies. Their starting salaries as junior officers are USD 2000 and up.
The other 50% are currently studying at the UT in all academic years in the Navigation and Marine Engineering departments.
As part of the maritime activities, the STC-Group assisted Vietnam with the global recognition of their national maritime education (IMO and EU white listing), recognition by flag states of Vietnam and has been strongly involved in liberalizing the US visa for Vietnamese seafarers.
Furthermore UT-STC upgraded and trained over 50 Vietnamese officers in tanker- and ship handling courses. The teachers of the UT were also trained and upgraded in Train the Trainers courses in the fields of maritime English, bridge simulator operations, cargo- and engine room simulator operations, ship handling and fire-fighting and survival practices.
Besides, in close cooperation with Vina-lines, the STC-Group is building a full scale nautical institute in Haiphong under the name Vina – STC.
In nearly 20 years of working with Vietnam, Mr. Erik Hietbrink has always pursued and nurtured an ambition of building a logistics training center in Vietnam. “When this comes true, it will help the education of students of transport and logistics, transport chain, process management and other related fields. Compared with other countries, Vietnamese seafarers are the best. I hope that in the future we will train the first Vietnamese woman seafarer in the country”, share Mr. Erik Hietbrink.
Le Phuong - Duy Khang
Vietnamese
