One year ago, I wrote that NNVO had made substantial advances in the preceding months. The year 2019 was marked by the bringing up to standard of the basis as well as the action plan in order to improve the quality of the Nautical Curricular Strands. The basis is now up to par, which creates sufficient support to continue building.
Together with the team we looked at ourselves as an organisation. Who do we want to be for our surroundings and where are we heading in the years to come? Together we expressed the following ambition:
‘NNVO brings safety closer’
We subsequently continued to make plans and to discuss them with the Board and our relations. By the end of 2019 we embarked our own NNVO ship with our team to make a beautiful trip. We set our goals and took our qualities with us on board. Our trip is taking us to several ‘tropical places’: improving quality and flexibility of the VTS training, bringing VTS training courses and Nautical Curricular Strands in line with actual practice, working in a financially sound environment and empowering our team. I would like to explain some of the above points.
Developments in VTS training
The Initial Training course material of the VTS training has been updated. Due to problems with iBooks the course material has been transferred to Word and substantially updated as well. Besides, the practical exercises have been upgraded.
In collaboration with TinQwise, NNVO developed an e-learning pathway for the first six exercises of the Initial Training (IT). These exercises are currently trained on the simulator, but can easily be replaced by e-learning. In this way trainees have more possibilities to practice, less simulator and coach capacity is required and the course duration can be shorter and more efficient. This also creates more starting dates for trainees. Employers will no longer have to wait six months to have a new employee trained.
The first e-learning tests were very positive. We received valuable feedback which we processed immediately. During the next IT in January 2021 we are going to make full use of the e-learning. Poseidon – that’s how we named the e-learning environment – is an excellent basis to build on. The Nautical Curricular Strands will follow soon, but also for our participants we see possibilities to convert parts of the Sector Training to e-learning. Apart from that we have received the first market signals: parties who are willing to engage with us to establish a cooperation with ‘our’ Poseidon.
Moreover, NNVO commissioned Saab to build our own simulator. At this moment we are in the middle of the implementation phase. The objective is that as of March 2021 the first IT-trainees can use this simulator at the NNVO office in Rotterdam.
Nautical Curricular Strands more in line with actual practice
Apart from renewed curricular strands for bridge and lock operators, NNVO is going to develop curricular strands for the other fleet personnel, such as mobile vessel traffic managers and masters. In close consultation with our participants and subject matter experts we are going to structure and revise our existing modules, and bring them more in line with actual practice. Our coordinator has meanwhile started a project to create a mobile vessel traffic manager module.
With the recruitment of our own trainer the Nautical Curricular Strands have become even more flexible. In this way we can better handle the enormous influx of students and we can also better respond to the need for tailor-made training courses. Besides, this trainer lends support at the keeping up-to-date of the course material.
In bad weather
As is normal when sailing, also NNVO encountered storm and headwinds. In the spring we had Covid-19 entailing imposed measures with the consequence that face-to-face training and teaching was no longer allowed. At VTS we were quite frustrated. The group, now 22 trainees, had never before been so large. We then split this group into four subgroups. In close consultation with MARIN and the Amsterdam and Rotterdam port authorities we made sure that the trainees were able to finish their training under Covid-19 Secure conditions.
Also at the Nautical Curricular Strands we succeeded in converting the training courses from face-to-face to online in only a few weeks’ time. We really did this together with our team of professionals who by necessity had to do everything from a distance and from home. I am very proud of this team, who showed having significant resilience, sense of responsibility, focus, passion, knowledge and commitment.
Just when we thought to be back on track, we heard that in 2021 our office will be given a new purpose. We have been at our present location only since February 2019 and this is where we realised our classrooms. We therefore had to look for a new location. At the time of writing this update we are at an advanced stage of concluding a contract of lease for an office at the Marten Meesweg in Rotterdam. This is a five-minute walk from our present location, on the other side of NS intercity and subway station Rotterdam Alexander. At this new location we will realise three classrooms as well as four simulator rooms, which makes us ready for the future. A new office gives new energy and provides ample opportunities to proceed on our course.
New Director
During our trip we also started the recruitment and selection procedure for a new Director. Since we said goodbye to our former Director, I have had the pleasure of working together with the NNVO team as interim Director. I look back with pride at the solid basis and clear ambition that we achieved. As of 1 December, Pieter Kuijt is going to start as Director of NNVO. In the period ahead I will ensure that he will be prepared for taking over the helm. In mid-January 2021 I will be leaving the ship and looking for a new and exciting challenge.
Johan van Breda
Director ad interim of NNVO
