In the last issue we spoke of the concept for the Quayside training facility in Cape Town Harbour. I want to expand on that and tell the readers a bit more about what’s been happening – we have a lot of news in a short time.
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Andrew Perks is a subject expert in ammonia refrigeration. Since undertaking his apprenticeship in Glasgow in the 1960s he has held positions of contracts engineer, project engineer, refrigeration design engineer, company director for a refrigeration contracting company and eventually owning his own contracting company and low temperature cold store. He is now involved in adding skills to the ammonia industry, is merSETA accredited and has written a variety of unit standards for SAQA that define the levels to be achieved in training in our industry. |
Firstly, a little bit of history for those people that have been asking who Crossberth is. Crossberth Cold Stores (CBCS) started operating in the Tanker Basin of Table Bay Harbour during 1996 specialising in berthing, stevedoring and discharge services to the deep-sea trawl sector. Crossberth is a licensed terminal operator and holds a certificate of compliance to the ISPS Security code – they are not new to cold storage and the fishing industry.
As mentioned, Carlos Mendoza, with the full support of the board of directors and other key service providers, has motivated the development of this facility to offer critical training and advice to the cold chain. The academy is focusing on developing skills to protect our cold chain services, not only in South Africa but across the African continent, including North, East and West Africa.
Carlos has engaged top experts across various sectors to build the academy from the ground up. Altie van Zyl of CBCS – who occupies a seat on the food safety committee of the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) – has been a key advisor to the project and will be developing food safety courses and maintaining the relevance of these courses.
For the hands-on deckhand and process operator training we have Future People. We all know it’s not just about sitting people in seats, it’s about motivation, it’s about connecting with learners and getting people with the passion to get the message across. Such a person is Dr Robin Ferguson from Future People. Having worked with major fishing groups, Robin has developed a broad range of skill-development programmes, particularly in product handling and processing in a cold chain environment.
Her contribution focuses on workplace training in the deep-sea trawl industry with a special interest in training sea-going factory workers. It is these factories which are the first link in the cold chain for fish and seafood products as these products are mainly processed, frozen or refrigerated onboard.
The training is moving along at a pace and the whole industry is excited about these new developments. The Quayside Training Academy uses classroom-based training and practical exercises on real systems as highlighted in figures 2 and 4. Carlos highlights that this endeavour was a team effort bringing together all members of CBCS from the board of directors to the staff on the floor. This type of training has never been available before and Robin is reaching out to upskill employees in the area of processing. This is going to have a major impact in the industry.
GCCA are embracing this initiative and were present at the recent opening. Ongoing engagements with Ghana and Kenya regarding the co-development, delivery and assessment of workplace cold store training are progressing apace. The vision is to partner with local commercial enterprises as well as local training institutions to empower them to teach in-country nationals.
For the refrigeration safety/compliance component we have A Perks Enterprises.
At the end of October 2024 A Perks Enterprises provided specialised training at the academy to Transnet, the Port Authorities and Cape Town’s Disaster Management Services, focusing on ammonia incident management and safety protocols. The results were encouraging as the port manager communicated: “We look forward to collaborating further with you and the rest of the fishing industry to ensure the safety of our port and operational activities.” This training incorporated a site specific customed response pack document which highlights procedures and ties up with emergency response services approach.
Ferguson at a recent training session for Transnet and Disaster Management.
It is essential that emergency services and site procedures are both in line to coordinate a quick effective response to any eventuality.
For the hands-on ammonia plant skills training we have Ammonia Training Solutions (ATS). Gerhard Koch of ATS is handling the SAQCC Gas competence training for refrigeration technicians on the operating ammonia system at CBCS site, another key partner in the academy. However, realising the ongoing training need for further training in the industry ATS has expanded its structure to include Ammonia Training Solutions International (ATSI), its new division, in conjunction with the Refrigerating Engineers and Technician Association (RETA) of the US. This creates a global platform for learners where industry professionals, researchers, manufacturers and educators can collaborate, allowing them to share and access the most up-to-date and comprehensive information. This is another new initiative of the academy bringing much needed skills to our industry.
and disaster management.
This digital hub will consolidate resources like technical papers, industry standards, safety protocols and case studies from leading refrigeration experts and organisations around the world. This platform would also be a resource to learners for best practices, troubleshooting guides, maintenance schedules and efficiency improvement strategies that are proven in real-world applications, updated regularly by contributors worldwide. In other words, it represents a place to go for those that want to enrich their training while communicating with known experts in the field.
The college is getting continuous encouraging feedback from the participants of the courses. Carlos and the board of directors are thinking big, not only about Cape Town, but of rolling out the training as it develops to raise awareness and skills levels throughout the industry. This is a new initiative that needs all our support if it is going to empower people and raise quality of food chains around the continent.
Watch this space for further news.