First Bootcamp starts with 48 recruits
This week the first Sea Ranger Bootcamp has started, on a training site near Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 48 youths, including long-term unemployed youth, gathered on Monday for an intensive physical five-week training programme. They will follow 20 introductory maritime training courses to coach them towards maritime careers. At the end of the bootcamp, 12 participants will be selected to be employed as a full-time Sea Ranger for one year. After a few months of additional sailing courses and maritime safety training, they will start their operational work on the North Sea, managing marine protected areas.
The start of the Sea Ranger Bootcamp brings the operationalisation of the Sea Ranger Service a step closer. Founder of the social enterprise, Wietse van der Werf: “We have been working for the last two years to get this off the ground. It is fantastic to finally start with the first group of Sea Ranger recruits. All these motivated youths ready to be trained up for a profession which hasn’t existed yet, that’s quite special. Twelve of them will be selected as Sea Rangers to become the world’s first rangers at sea, I’m very proud of what our team and partners have managed to achieve to date.”
During the Sea Ranger Bootcamp the youth follow introductory trainings and obtain certificates in sailing, diving, first aid, maritime safety, food hygiene, biology and much more. Eight partner companies are involved in delivering the trainings. Throughout the programme, the youths are coached by navy veterans. At the end of the bootcamp 12 youth are selected as Sea Rangers while an additional 12 get selected to start work in the Port of Rotterdam with maritime sector employers. These youths will become Sea Ranger Reservists, to be offered additional training throughout the year, with the possibility to be called up for Sea Ranger duties as and when necessary. The Sea Ranger Service has made special agreements with maritime companies to enable their employees to take additional time off to fulfil their Sea Ranger Reservist role.