The aim is to have a 'quarry' of future professionals, trained and specialized, to work on board.

Baleària, with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the General Directorate of the Merchant Navy (DGMM), has launched a new training programme for students of Puente and Machines, which will have 20 places and will last between six and twelve months. The main objective of the course, which began in October, is to train future professionals to work on board following a Baleària learning model. It is expected that all students will first embark on a school ship where they will be given initial training. They will then be destined for two other vessels, one operating in the Balearic Islands and the other operating in the Strait. This methodology provides a global knowledge of both the company and the different ports where it operates. The vessels to be part of this programme are the ferries Martin i Soler, Abel Matutes, Bahama Mama, Sicily and Poeta López Anglada.

The shipping company already had a training programme for future officials of Puente and Machines but "collaboration with the IMO, through its Maritime Ambassador for Spain, has allowed us to make a qualitative leap by offering a more complete and homogeneous training," said Fleet Director Guillermo Alomar. "The company is at a time of growth and we need to have a wide range of specialized professionals who can work on our ships," he adds. The Maritime Captain of Tenerife and IMO Ambassador to Spain, Antonio Padron, highlights the importance of maritime transport (which has just celebrated its World Day) for both trade and communications. "We want to convey enthusiasm to the sector, especially to those young people who are starting their career in order to inspire new generations of maritime experts," he concludes.

In order to carry out this programme, a number of requirements must be met: to have Spanish nationality and to have signed the agreements in curricular practices, and to have more than six months of boarding pending. In addition, priority will be given to those who have a master's degree and reside in ports where the shipping company operates.