FREEPORT, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas — It was a feeling of success and succession for the Minister for Grand Bahama, as she welcomed the second cohort for the Elnet Maritime 101 Cadet Program, while handing out certificates for graduates of the first class.
On Saturday, January 21, 2023, Minister Ginger Moxey was excited to offer words of encouragement to the second cohort of young people, who will begin their adventure in the field of Maritime, through the Elnet six-week introductory program. Twenty young people have been enrolled in the new classes and 19 out of twenty students from the first group of students were on hand Saturday to receive their certificates.
“This program is contributing to shaping the future of our young men and women, by introducing them to a career path in the maritime industry,” said Minister Moxey, in welcoming the new batch of cadets to the Maritime Program.
“Through education and training 12th grade high school students are acquiring first-hand knowledge about the shipping agency aspect of the maritime industry. Numerous opportunities are available. And with Grand Bahama Island positioned to become the home of maritime logistics in The Bahamas, it is my hope that by the end of this program, all of the students are motivated to pursue careers in the maritime industry.”
The Maritime 101 Cadet Program was the dream of Elbert Hepburn, CEO of Elnet, to establish a training program that would introduce young Grand Bahamians to the exciting, and lucrative careers available within the Maritime industry. Partnering with the Ministry for Grand Bahama and Minister Moxey, the Maritime Cadet program became a reality.
With the pilot class of cadets receiving their certificates, Minister Moxey noted that the Maritime Program was well on its way to becoming an established course that will train Bahamians for the maritime industry.
“I wish to thank Mr. Elbert Hepburn and his team, as well as my team at the Ministry of Grand Bahama for the amazing work done in executing the first cohort of Maritime 101,” added Minister Moxey.
“This is a free program that is being offered and for that I am thankful to Elnet for making that possible. I’m excited about what this can mean for the young people on our island who will learn about this program and about what the Blue Economy has to offer. One of the things we wanted to do was to make sure that we were truly impacting lives and this program does that.
“This island can explode with development, but we want to make sure that our people are a part of that and that they receive the benefits from that as much as possible.”
Mrs. Janet Shepherd, Vice-President of Elnet Maritime Agency said the training program is designed to “wet the appetite” of the students about what the maritime business can offer. She said that plans are in motion to collaborate with schools and colleges abroad to try and secure scholarships for these cadets once they graduate from the Elnet program.
“Our objective for this program is that the young people in Grand Bahama who go through this program that it would get them so excited about becoming a part of the maritime industry,” said Mrs. Shepherd. “It is a lucrative industry, it’s growing and we want to let our young people know of the benefits of this industry, so that when they graduate from high school, they would see the maritime industry as a career choice.”
