06th July, 2020 The Ministry of Tourism continues coordinating trainings on Restricted Skipper Master Class 6. This is the second year the Ministry has coordinated these trainings since 2019. The trainings were usually coordinated by Tonga Business Enterprise Center (TBEC) in the previous years.
The purpose of coordinating this training was to minimize the training fees so that more local Tongans are involved and participated. Each participants paid a minimum fee in order to participate in the training. The whale watching industry is one of the industry that employed the locals thus help reduced income leakage of bringing employees from overseas and also minimizing infringements of putting unqualified staff on board and to provide varieties of trained staff for whale watching operators to utilize.
The training is fully funded by the Ministry of Tourism with in-kind sponsorship of trainers from MEIDECC, and in-kind sponsorship of approved training materials for skipper course from the Marine Department of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Department of Environment, MEIDECC.
The training commenced on the 6th – 24th of July. Twenty-six (26) participants have registered from the outer islands including Tongatapu. The training is comprised of six components
- Nautical
- Engineering
- First Aid at Sea
- Radio Telecommunication (VHF)
- Marine Biology of whales
- Whale Watching Regulation 2013
The Ministry is hoping for a more productive and quality training for industry who will operate according to the rules and regulations and for the people of Tonga to fully benefits from the whale-watching sector.
ENDS
Issued by the: Ministry of Tourism