Our training philosophy is to ensure our training is certified by Transport Canada and to make the training experience as real as possible – to make it like the experience individuals will experience on board a vessel – with all the expectations and conditions they can expect to find aboard a vessel in real life. We want to prepare them as much as possible for the very unique experience of marine culture. What does this mean?
We train using industry standards!
Our classrooms emanate what would be found aboard a vessel – right down to the drawings and signage. We have been fortunate in that our industry partners have provided us with actual drawing, pictures of vessels, etc.
It means that we talk about the living conditions, the experiences they may encounter on a vessel.
It means that we hold our students accountable for their behaviour. There is a zero tolerance policy with regard to alcohol and drug usage. If students are late for class, they will have to wait until a break or until lunch to get into the class (the boat has sailed). If our students are absent from class without a proper reason, they will have to leave. This policy carries through into the student accommodations where there are strict rules concerning, curfew, guests and living with other people. If a student causes damage to the student accommodations, his training allowance cheque is held until the damage has been paid in full.
Students sign a contract with us in which they agree to follow the rules, they understand how much the training does cost and they are made aware of the consequences of not following the rules. When a student does not follow the rules, we do not “kick them out of the class”, they have resigned because they did not follow their contract.
Our goal is to help students know what to expect on a vessel, that being late and absent is not an option on a vessel, and the basic life skills of living with complete strangers in a house setting. Together with the technical skills our students learn, these are skills that students can transfer to all of their lives.
