June 15, 2020

Vanessa Davidson appointed deputy CEO of SAIMI

The South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) has appointed Vanessa Davidson, the outgoing chief executive of the Maritime Industry Association of South Africa (MIASA) as deputy chief executive officer (CEO) in charge of strategic projects.

Davidson, who headed up MIASA for five years, will be liaising with all the government departments and organisations involved in the oceans economy in order to provide a link between government policy-makers and the maritime industry.

SAIMI provides a link between industry and skills training and academic institutions to ensure that the education curriculum meets the needs of the maritime sector.

“Vanessa’s appointment will strengthen the SAIMI team and will help us to fast-track the Operation Phakisa deliverables,” says SAIMI CEO Prof Malek Pourzanjani.

Davidson believes skills training remains the key to future growth in the marine manufacturing sector: “Worldwide, we need to look at how we provide specialist skills training and education to keep pace with new innovations in materials, work processes and equipment.

“I think each maritime sub sector has different skills challenges, but there are at least three commonalities:

“First is a need for a strong schooling base for entry into tertiary education, or directly into semi-skilled work.

“Secondly, a quality tertiary baseline followed by industry-driven specialisation.

“Thirdly, there must be progression and an employment pipeline into supervisory and middle management opportunities. This is important to drive transformation at an ownership level,” she says.

“Operation Phakisa will create jobs, provided that it encourages investment by the private sector. The private sector will make the necessary investments if government ensures that supporting programmes and legislation are in place,” she says.

But, she adds, a long-term investment in people is needed to grow the maritime sector.

“There is a lag time between training and development and industry growth. As a result it is important to address the marine skills landscape now and create a pool of suitably qualified, experienced and passionate people who drive more growth in the sector, in the medium to long term”.

“I believe that the credibility of SAIMI depends upon establishing strong trust relationships with delivery partners in a non-partisan manner, as well as ensuring transparency, effective collaboration and very importantly, strong communication efforts both with delivery partners and national and international role players”.

About the author

Issued by Issued by Siyathetha Communications on behalf of the South African International Maritime Institute.

Contact:
SAIMI CEO: Odwa Mtati – 082 783 6810 Siyathetha: Ed Richardson: +27 41 582 3750 / 083 656 9757

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September 19, 2024

WATCH: Business Spotlight | South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI)

While Women’s Month has come to an end, the conversation around women's leadership in the maritime sector continues. In an insightful interview with Business Day TV, Nwabisa Matoti, Acting Research Director at SAIMI, highlights the strides made in advancing women in maritime careers as she was interviewed by Business Day TV. The sector is seeing a shift towards greater gender diversity and inclusion, with women playing a crucial role in shaping the future of the oceans economy. Watch the interview on the link below.