Capacity development: Port & Cargo trains 25 engineers

Kathy Kyhari

In fulfilment of

its promises to the Council of Registered Engineers (COREN) at its 2022 Annual Conference, Port & Cargo Handling Services Limited (PCHS), a subsidiary of SIFAX Group, has begun its industry capacity development initiatives.

PCHS recently inducted twenty-five young engineering graduates of various universities and polytechnics across the country into its Graduate Trainee Programme.

The program, which will run for a period of one year, will afford the participants the opportunity of practical technical training and mentorship.

The Managing Director of PCHS, Mr. John Jenkins, who spoke at the induction ceremony held in Lagos recently said that the programme was launched to address the shortage of competent technical manpower in the country’s maritime industry as well as provide job opportunities for young and competent Nigerian engineering graduates.

“We designed this engineering graduate trainee scheme for two major reasons. First, is to open Nigerian young engineering graduates to the immense opportunities that abound in the Nigerian maritime industry. We want them to know they can build a long career in maritime.

The other reason is that the sector currently needs a new set of young and competent technical hands who can contribute meaningfully to its growth through the deployment of their skills”.

He also said that the one-year training will take them through the nitty gritty of the repairs and maintenance of key heavy-duty equipment like rubber tyre gantry (RTG), reach stackers and shore cranes, among others.

The managing director enjoined the participants to take full advantage of the great opportunity extended to them by the company through their commitment and willingness to learn.

Also speaking, Human Resource Manager of PCHS, Christopher Nnamuah, said that the scheme would also serve as a succession plan programme to groom the next set of engineers both for the company and the industry at large.

He said: “As a company that is tracking trends in our industry, we have discovered that opportunities abound in the maritime sector but we have low manpower to harness these opportunities.

He appreciated the support of the management, who have made the training of the 25 engineering graduates a reality.

Nnamuah stated that there is the need to start planning for the future as it is certain that this set of young trainees will take over from the experienced ones in the nearest future.

He disclosed that the company”s plans is to absorb into its workforce the best of the trainees at the completion of the programme.