The SA Navy today gained 300 new hands when the sea service graduated its latest class of naval gymnasium programme (NGP) sailors.
The NGP, presented at SAS Saldanha north of Cape town, forms part of the military skills development (MSD) programme which in turn, forms part of the Department of Defence HR 2010 rejuvenation sub-strategy.
The Navy says the aim of the programme is to provide recruits with naval competencies and life skills that will give them a greater chance of finding employment at the end of their two-year MSD contract. Skills included are:
· Naval Competencies – organisational studies, maritime practices, physical fitness.
· Life Skills – Financial health, computer literacy, maritime first aid, musketry, platform operator training and fire-fighting. Platform Operator training is unit standards based and includes occupational health and safety, mechanical, electricity, workshop techniques and internal combustion ships systems.
The MSD Programme is a two-year voluntary training programme and the first six months focuses on the change from civilian life to a military environment. For the remainder of the period the members are deployed in the fleet for further training and to gain practical experience.
