Kathleen N. Mix, vice chancellor for Workforce Development and Education at Delgado Community College, is pleased to announce that Delgado’s Maritime, Fire, Radar and Industrial Training Facility is the recipient of an Incumbent Worker Training Program (IWTP) Grant in the amount of $1,304,795.
The Maritime, Fire, Radar and Industrial Training Facility will provide training for employees of Florida Marine Transporters, a marine transportation company that operates boats and barges moving liquid cargoes throughout the inland waterways of the country. This is the fifth Incumbent Worker Training Grant awarded to Florida Marine since the program’s inception in 2000.
The Maritime, Fire, Radar and Industrial Training Facility will train approximately 390 Florida Marine employees through a customized certification program that is required for the individuals to continue working in the marine transportation industry. Of these employees, 30 are newly hired entry-level deckhands, and 100 are deckhands who will advance to tankermen upon completion of the program. Mid-level and advanced-level marine crew members will also be trained, including engineers, steersmen and captains.
For the entry-level employees, the Maritime, Fire, Radar and Industrial Training Facility will offer U.S. Coast Guard-approved courses such as STCW Basic Firefighting, STCW First Aid/CPR and Apprentice Mate Steersman. The more advanced training will include U.S. Coast Guard-approved Basic & Advanced Shipyard Firefighting, Wheelhouse Proficiency Management, Regulatory Compliance Benzene Cargoes, Maritime Security Awareness, Hazardous Waste Operations, Hazardous Materials, Basic Engine Room Duties, Hydrogen Sulfide Safety and Confined Space.
Much of the captains’ training will be conducted on the Maritime, Fire, Radar and Industrial Training Facility’s dual Wheelhouse Ship Simulators, currently housed at Delgado’s Mandeville location. Both of these simulators were purchased with Incumbent Worker Training Program funding awarded to Delgado’s Maritime, Fire, Radar and Industrial Training Facility grant recipient partners, including Florida Marine.
The purchase of this equipment and the development of the Wheelhouse Proficiency Management training program were combined efforts with Delgado’s industry partners who provided their expertise in designing programs to train licensed personnel. The equipment simulates real-life waterway scenarios as they would be experienced from the wheelhouse of a vessel, but conducted in the safety of the classroom environment.
Through this newly awarded grant, Delgado’s Maritime, Fire, Radar and Industrial Training Facility will also be able to purchase over $45,000 worth of additional equipment and supplies needed to provide required upgrades required for the Facility.
Delgado has been serving Florida Marine’s training needs through the Incumbent Worker Training Program since 2000 and is proud to continue its partnership.