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19 March 2015
From the 23rd February to the 5th of March a series of EIVA courses were held in Noordhoek, Cape Town in South Africa. It was a first for Atlas’ training courses as attendees were able to use both classroom training and a practical session to gain a first hands on experience, capturing live data and post-processing this onboard a vessel.
In the first week, the group received training on online solutions of EIVA’s software. After a successful completion and a well-deserved day off on Saturday, the group started the NaviModel extended course.
Unfortunately a bush fire flared up and travelled in the direction of Noordhoek. On Tuesday morning the fires reached the 50m barrier of Monkey Valley Resort, the training venue for the course.
“Seeing the spread at this speed makes one gain a new respect for fire” says Atlas’ Competence Manager Dingena Theunisse. “I have a deep respect for the fire fighters and volunteers, especially for their willpower and determination to control these fires.”
Luckily for the course members, plans had already been made to move the practical forward to Tuesday. The day’s use of the small boat donated by MDC (Marine Data Consulting) in Simonstown was a welcome addition for everybody partaking in the course. Being able to practice with the different software applications of the EIVA NaviSuite just gave the candidates that extra bit of confidence and knowledge.
This course proved to be a valuable asset for candidates; possible challenges can be solved, questions can be answered, course members get to know Atlas and most importantly, candidates learn how to further improve their knowledge through a hands on experience. “I was happy to see that the course members enjoyed getting to know the different software solutions. I would like to thank the trainer and the course members for their flexibility during the course. All of the candidates were very understanding about the force majeure and didn’t mind changing to different venues. All together this one has definitely been a first for Atlas.”
Atlas believes in investing in people and their development. Atlas ensures that the competency of our workforce is maintained through training courses such as this. It would be valuable to have more of these practical and theoretical course combinations. However, it can be challenging to organise courses such as this, which is why it is good to get support from other organisations that have the facilities to do this. Atlas would like to thank MDC for donating their vessel for the course.
As with all training, applying what you have learned on the job is essential. EIVA has enabled this for candidates by offering them a ‘practice’ licence for 30 days. If you would like to find out more about Atlas and EIVA training courses then please visit our training schedule at http://offshore-survey.atlasprofessionals.com/career
The courses are also listed on EIVA’s site, to find out more please click on the link http://www.eiva.com/services/training-courses/upcoming-courses
“Although training is important, it means very little when you compare this to what people have lost during these wildfires, let alone 7,000 acres of forestation and habitats. I now fully understand the expression spreading like wild fire!”
