Page 36: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2011)

By Joseph Keefe Legacy of excellence dates back to the 1960s. Cutting-edge development of customized education and training pro-grams for the global maritime industrycontinues on today ? and tomorrow. Though it is no secret that the GlobalMaritime and Transportation School (GMATS) offers some of the most exten- sive maritime and transportation profes- sional education available in the world today, industry leaders may also be sur- prised to learn that the most visible namein maritime education in North America is as agile as it is big. In fact, and at the heart of the GMATS mission is its ability to quickly and efficiently develop train- ing programs designed to meet the spe-cific needs of a company or organization. Expanding rapidly from its formal rootsin 1994, the school now stands at the epi- center of any number of training initia- tives, spanning four divisions of learning. DEEP ROOTS Continuing Education for maritimeprofessionals actually began at Kings Point in the 1960s with the Nuclear Ship Savannah Project, where Savannahs en- gineers received specialized nuclear en- gineering training at the U.S. MerchantMarine Academy. Eventually, and re- sponding to demands presented by thetransportation industry itself, the uniqueresources of the Academy were made available through the establishment of the USMMA Continuing Education in 1994.The five-year period that followed re- sulted in a dramatic increase in both thesize and scope of its courses and pro-grams. In 1999, the name of the programwas changed to the Global Maritime and Transportation School (GMATS). GMATS TODAY As reflected in its mission to prepareprivate sector, government, and military professionals to be global leaders and in-novators in maritime operations, inter- modal systems, and transportationsecurity,? the reach of GMATS extends into virtually every sector of maritime and transportation disciplines. Co-locatedwith the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on 82 acres on Long Island Sound inKings Point, NY, GMATS is divided into four separate divisions that embody the scope of its curriculum, research studiesand technical assistance:Table 1 ? Nautical Science and Military Training ? Marine Engineering? Transportation Logistics and Mgmt. ? Research and Special ProjectsYou probably already know that GMATS provides the Basic Officer Training Course (BOTC) for all new uni- formed candidates who enter into the Na-tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Corps. Beyond this, however, and within the GMATS di- visions depicted in Table 1, more than 140 professional education and trainingprograms are offered. Equally important is GMATS ability to develop specialized, customized education and training pro-grams that meet the specific needs of any transportation organization. Last year alone, 4,000 students and their sponsor- ing organizations took advantage of the GMATS menu of course offerings, re- flecting a growing client list that includes numerous government, military, and commercial entities. CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS Apart from its standard commercialcourse offerings designed to meet U.S.Coast Guard and international training re-quirements, GMATS also specializes in developing training programs designed to meet the specific needs of a company or organization. Drawing upon more than 300 subject matter experts to provide in- struction, GMAT faculty ? academia from other colleges and universities, and guest lecturers from private-sector, mili- tary, and government organizations who are experts in their field ? bring a wealth of diversity and talent to the classroom. Where appropriate, classroom presenta-tion is augmented by extensive use of the Academys laboratories, simulators, and waterfront vessels. THE REINAUER EXPERIENCE In May, and as a perfect example of its nimble learning platform, two cus-tomized STCW-compliant Bridge Re- source Management (BRM) courseswere put together by GMATS for Rein- auer Transportation Company. Using in- tensive case study material, award-winning professor (Captain) George Sandberg led students through a myriad of lessons involving situational awareness, decision making, leadership, crisis management, communication, mas-ter/pilot relationships, and voyage plan- ning. Incorporating much more than therequired U.S. Coast Guard and STCWmandated content, the course(s) also in-cluded extensive use of the latest version of Transas NaviTrainer 5000 simulators, as well as Transas ECDIS units and the lively interaction of as many as four dif- ferent student-piloted vessels in the same exercise. Significantly, the exercise(s) were customized for the type of equip-ment typically employed by Reinauers Mates and Captains, adding to the real-ism and utility of the learning experience. In addition to the BRM curriculum,participants also were presented with theGMATS 8-Hour Advanced Simulation Training certificate. The simulation, led by GMATS ECDIS subject matter expert Christian Hempstead, included integrated training involving safe navigation and maneuvering of multiple towing vessels and barges in various conditions of visi- bility, wind, current, challenging traffic and emergency situations. Hempstead, widely regarded as North Americas fore- most authority on ECDIS training forprofessional mariners, tailored the simu-lation directly to the needs of the Rein-auers professional mariners. The full course, BRM plus simulator training ?also attended by this writer ? was a pow- erful learning experience. Although Reinauers bridge personnel were already compliant with all aspectsof their licensing requirements, the New York-based marine transportation group regularly elects to provide continuing ed- ucation for their marine personnel. As is usually the case, they chose GMATS in this instance, rotating two groups of 19 mates each through the customized pro-gram. Frank Kuziemski, Fleet Manager for Reinauer, also oversees training re- quirements for the 75-vessel operation from his Staten Island offices. He told Maritime Reporter in June, GMATS ability to bring together large groups is GMATS Instructor Christian Hempstead.2011 YEARBOOKTRAINING & EDUCATION GMATS Evolving as a Global Training Asset State-of-the-art Transas simulation and ECDIS equipment. Captain George Sandberg instructs BRM students.32Maritime Reporter & Engineering News