On May 19th, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the designation of 27 Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education (CoE). The CoE designation recognizes community colleges and training institutions that prepare students for careers in our nation’s maritime industry. These academic institutions are located in sixteen states and one U.S. territory. MITAGS was one of six dedicated maritime training centers selected for this designation.
MITAGS is starting the new year with the introduction of an exciting new type of training and assessment tool. NAV-SAFE Digital Voyages combine the interaction of a video game with the science of skills assessment. NAV-SAFE is a digital learning product which can be loaded onto a company’s Learning Management System (LMS), or accessed via the internet. This means mariners can access the product while working at sea or from home on their time off, without having to travel to a distant training center.
NAV-SAFE uses technology drawn from MITAGS’s powerful Wärtsilä bridge simulators combined with a polished learning experience developed in association with UK-based KILO Solutions. Participants in a Digital Voyage navigate a ship through a challenging series of interactions with other ships, navigational hazards and weather activity. They make decisions based not only on visual information, but interpretation of data from Radar and ECDIS, and voice communications over VHF radio with other ships, traffic control and their own lookouts.
Effective January 1, 2021, Capt. Jonathan (Jon) Kjaerulff has assumed the duties of Director of Business Development at MITAGS. Jon succeeds Capt. Bob Becker, who is retiring this year, but will maintain his association with MITAGS as a consultant. With this new promotion, and as a member of the senior management team at MITAGS, Jon’s mission is to identify customer needs and craft solutions in all the areas where MITAGS operates – not just training, but in customized simulation, research and apprenticeship programs. Jon is also helping MITAGS implement new and exciting training and assessment methodologies, such as Digital Learning, Virtual and Augmented Reality.
“This is a very exciting and challenging time to be in the training business,” says Jon. “So many basic concepts about how, where and to whom we provide instruction and assessment have changed in the last few months. Our customers demand quality programs that can be delivered more effectively and efficiently, which respect their employees’ time but also enhance their knowledge and safety skills. As the world changes around us, I look forward to helping MITAGS navigate these new, uncharted waters while maintaining our position as the Leader in Maritime Training and Simulation.”
MITAGS’ simulation partner Wärtsila has posted an article on its web site describing the growing role of simulation in port development and ship design. The article highlights MITAGS’ role as not just a pioneer in the use of simulators, but an...
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan toured MITAGS-East in Baltimore, learning about our ship simulation capabilities and plans for training the Offshore Wind Industry work force.
