The President of the Government stated today that the Azores Maritime School will be built on the island of Faial, an investment of 4.5 million Euros. According to him, it will meet the strategic goal of providing the Region with a quality vocational training institution that is certified in the various fields of maritime economy.
 
"This project, which is now under implementation, fulfils the commitment to provide the Region with an institution offering high-quality and certified vocational training that is recognised and acknowledged in the regional, national and international labour markets," said Vasco Cordeiro.
 
The President of the Government spoke at the ceremony of laying the first stone of the Azores Maritime School (EMA), which will redevelop several building of the former Horta Naval Radio Station. The initiative will reinforce the central position of Faial Island in the maritime sector, attracting trainees and professionals from several areas. This will contribute to the creation of more jobs as well as to the social and economic revitalisation of the island and, consequently, of the Azores.
 
According to Vasco Cordeiro, the adaptation of this space also falls under the Government's goal to privilege urban rehabilitation for the installation of public services, whenever this is possible from a technical standpoint. In this specific case, the project is an asset due to the recovery of building heritage that has always been linked to the sea.
 
In his speech, the President of the Government stressed, however, that this new school is not just a vocational training school in the fisheries sector, since it "goes far beyond in its goals and strategic ambitions."
 
"The intervention areas of the Azores Maritime School will be defined based on the identification of market needs in terms of skilled labour, either in more traditional areas, such as fishing and maritime transport, or in growing and emerging areas, as the case of maritime tourism activities, from cruises to aquaculture," announced Vasco Cordeiro.
 
According to the President of the Government, EMA will intends to train professionals working in ports, professional diving, fishing and environment observation, maritime monitoring, surveillance and safety, and management and monitoring of beach areas, among others.
 
In this context, the Azores Maritime School will be provided with all the technical and logistical components to teach courses in accordance with the provisions of the STCW Convention - Standards of Training and Certification Watchkeeping Convention; the latter will become soon mandatory for all European seafarers and the countries that signed this Convention.
 
The integration of EMA into the Vasco da Gama programme, a European initiative that aims to promote and standardise training in maritime professions, will be one of the relevant aspects to be addressed.
 
"We must also not forget that the Maritime School will neither become nor is intended to be a foreign body in the Regional Education System. In fact, it is part of the Regional Education System under the Statute of Private and Cooperative Education, Vasco Cordeiro stressed, adding that the institution should train young people, adding that the institution will contribute to the education of young people, providing them with academic and vocational training certification.
 
The EMA will also offer technological specialisation courses, now in the context of vocational training education, such as those directed to Maritime-Tourism Operators, thus ensuring the continuity of the course created by the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of the Azores in collaboration with Infante D. Henrique Nautical School.
 
According to the President of the Government, the maritime economy, in its various components, represents about 5% of the regional GDP and accounts for over 25% of exports. Moreover, it comprises 900 companies that employ more than 5,000 employees, generating a turnover exceeding 200 million Euros per year.
 
"Thus, this infrastructure will play a key role in entrepreneurship, qualification and certification of our professionals, who will be endowed with innovative and competitive technical skills for the development of our maritime economy," said Vasco Cordeiro.
 
Given its location in the city of Horta, EMA will have the necessary conditions to establish partnerships with the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of the Azores as well as with the future Atlantic Observatory, which will be headquartered on Faial.
 
"Bearing in mind the increasing importance of maritime economy in the international scene, the Government of the Azores stressed the importance of defining and implementing strategies to revitalise the Azorean maritime sector. They will also allow the Region to proudly assert itself as one of the regions that makes the best use of its Sea in the national and European context," assured Vasco Cordeiro.
 
The Maritime School will occupy four of the existing buildings. The project includes the construction of a new space dedicated to specialised workshops.
 
At a later stage, the works will include the recovery of four of the six apartment buildings, with capacity to accommodate about 100 trainees and teachers.
 
The school features suitable spaces for general training, rooms equipped with modern simulators for navigation, communications and machinery, as well as workshops for several areas, including mechanics, welding, hydraulics, electricity, electronics, seamanship, fishing, carpentry and fish processing.
 
Moreover, the infrastructure will also have a modern Damage Containment Park, built from scratch. It will include a camp for firefighting training and rescue operations and a support infrastructure; the latter is essential for the international certification of this school.
 
In addition to these areas, the School will have direct access to the sea, near Horta fishing port, where the project includes the installation of a repair and maintenance shop and a diving section.