Trinity House Shipping Cadetship

The High Tide students have acheived huge success on the recent Shipping Cadetship funded by Trinity House.

Twelve students from Our Lady & St Bede School, Stockton, spent five days exploring the Maritime Industry on Teesside. The group were given the theme of transporting a container of mobile phones from a factory in Taiwan across the seas to the final destination of a store in Teesside.

The students started the week visiting PD Ports where Jas Kaur had arranged a fun filled day of activities exploring the River Tees. The group boarded the pilot cutter boat to embark on a beautiful river trip along the River Tees as well as having a go on the simulator and robotic cranes.

“On the Trinity House Shipping Cadetship I learnt that the Maritime Industry is massive and helps to support the economy. My favourite part was going on the pilot cutter and experiencing being out on the River Tees” 

 

– Samuel, Y9

In their groups the students identified different modes of transport and used maps to plan their routes from Taiwan to the UK.

The following day the students headed to Casper Shipping to meet the team of ship broking agents. The group took over the boardroom to explore the range of different vessels available to transport cargo around the world.

“On the Trinity House Shipping Cadetship I learnt about the different type of ships and what they do, as well as the different roles in maritime.” – 

Alice, Y9

“I can speak for all of us involved with the Cadetship when I say the level of interest and enthusiasm that the students had shown was outstanding!

I work closely with the other companies involved in the week and all have had the same response, It’s refreshing to be afforded the opportunity to share our world with people who show a genuine passion for the industry” – Scott Thurlwell, Casper Shipping

Svitzer then welcomed the group for an exciting tour of their tugboat, they explored inside and were even shown the incredible engine room.

“My favourite part of the Trinity House Shipping Cadetship was looking at the tugboat engine room which was very cool to see” – Julian, Y9

The group spent the next day at the harbour masters office with the fantastic VTS team. The students were very engaged learning about life at sea – especially the pirates!

“It’s a lovely change to our usual day to have young people on site talking to them about our own journeys and how we’ve ended up where we are is really refreshing as we often don’t take the time to reflect. Hearing their ideas and plans for their futures is also wonderful as they are often really ambitious.” – 

Jas Kaur, PD Ports

On Thursday the students travelled to PD Ports Conservancy where they had a tour of the impressive new dredger, The Emerald Duchess. The group learned all about the responsibilities of managing the river to allow the ships to enter safely with their container.

“The tour of the emerald duchess was really interesting because it was good to see all the systems” – 

Jacob, Y9

“I had a few favourite parts about the Trinity House Shipping Cadetship which were going onboard the emerald duchess and the tug boats as well as the tours. The experience was great and it helped me understand more about the shipping industry” – 

Jacob, Y9

The students were introduced to Mia, a past participant of a High Tide programme. Mia inspired the group through showing how these experiences can directly lead to their future careers.

“My favourite part of the Trinity House Shipping Cadetship was going on the pilot boat as we saw the massive oil rig and the River Tees. It was really interesting and enlightened me about this career path” – 

Mtandazi, Y9

The students finished the week at Middlesbrough college where they had fun playing the logistics game, planning how their lorry will transport their product from the port to the store. They navigated different obstacles that transport planners must face to make their deliveries on time.

“It was great to be part of the Trinity House Shipping Cadetship. We were excited to host the students for their final day on the programme and see what they had learnt about the vast maritime industry we have on Teesside, especially with the River Tees being on our doorstep here at Middlesbrough college. It is always a pleasure to work with The High Tide Foundation, to supplement the work we already do to help develop a skilled workforce for the maritime industry” – 

Gary Potts, Middlesbrough College

The groups ended their experience by sharing what they had learnt through the brilliant presentations they created.

“I can speak for all of us involved with the Cadetship when I say the level of interest and enthusiasm that the students had shown was outstanding!

I work closely with the other companies involved in the week and all have had the same response, It’s refreshing to be afforded the opportunity to share our world with people who show a genuine passion for the industry” – 

Mr York, Our lady and St Bede 

“The only way the Trinity House Shipping Cadetship could improve is if it could last longer” – 

Lily, Y9

“I would recommend the Trinity House Shipping Cadetship to other businesses. I think it’s a great opportunity to work with the local community. It benefits the young people who get to explore a new environment, but it also offers staff the chance to engage with a new audience and develop their own communication and leadership skills.” – 

Jas Kaur, PD Ports

“On the Trinity House Shipping Cadetship I learnt what happens on Teesport and the journey a phone takes from Taiwan to Teesport” – 

Charlie, Y9