A new year a new beginning, I was appointed as the Chairlady late last year after being on the committee since 2016 for the South African branch. I am not a new face to the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers but hope that I am a new inspiration to those around me who have volunteered to take this journey with me.
Within weeks of my appointment I had the opportunity to attend the ICS Controlling Council in Cardiff to represent South African and our branch. At this event the successes as well as the failures of the ICS are discussed in length and goals are updated to ensure stability, growth and sustainability of our Institute. It was a great privilege to network with members from 22 branches around the world and share new ideas and discuss any challenges.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
a quote from Nelson Mandela
The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers worldwide is very passionate about education and as each year goes by it is a wonderful feeling to see the exam passes and new members who have joined various branches after completing their qualifying examinations with the ICS. In total 144 students completed their PQE in year end 2019 and 94 are now members, this is on a global scale. ICS worldwide membership still sits at over 3000 members.
For the South Africa branch, we are exploring all avenues to promote studying through the ICS and encouraging a higher level of skilled individuals in the maritime industry in South Africa.
This year we are introducing Understanding Shipping mentor workshops, the first one will be held this Saturday the 29th February in the ICS offices in Durban from 09:30hrs. Students in other areas outside of Durban can dial in via Skype. This is the start of the Understanding Shipping journey whereby students will have the opportunity to discuss topics covered in the coursework and have a networking opportunity with other students around them.
For our Tutorship Students, last year we introduced an Intro to Shipping Workshop prior to the November exams, 7 students attended. After our March prep further workshops to be offered to our students and we encourage students to attend. We are seeking additional professionals around the country within the industry to run the workshops and share their knowledge and experience with our students. If anyone can contribute and assist, please do let the ICS office know. A trial session of online tutorials has been made available from Head Office; students are able to access this at our ICS office in Durban. Our prep weekend will be from the 13-15th of March 2020, invites have been emailed to all our students. I trust the students will have the support and encouragement from their tutors, employers, colleagues and other students whom they have met through the ICS.
The committee is contacting all South African members and networks within the industry to develop additional bespoke courses that the ICS can offer to companies. If anyone has any requests or ideas, please could you share it with our office.
Education and networking go hand in hand, we all learn new things each day and one special way of sharing information is through networking. As it is our centenary year since the signing of the Royal Charter in London, in celebrating this achievement we plan to host several functions and networking opportunities through the year.
Looking forward in catching up with all our students, members and visitors during the year and exploring the new goals set for the ICS South African branch.