A young man who fled war-torn Congo has started a new life for himself in Hull after completing Maritime Futures offshore training.
Mohamed Ndumbi, 30, is looking forward to starting a new job on a crabbing boat after successfully completing the training, which is part of Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City, a heritage-driven, transformational project drawing on Hull’s unique spirit and sense of place.
Delivered by East Coast Maritime Training, the three-week intensive course supports those looking to start careers in the fishing or offshore sectors – on oil rigs, wind farms or in the fishing industry.
Mohamed said: “The training was phenomenal. It was a mixture of practical skills and life experience. The teachers have all been there and lived it.
“I’m really looking forward to starting my new job. I studied business management at college but because I didn’t have any experience, the only work I could find was in factories. The course taught me you can do whatever you want to if you put your mind to it. I’m so thankful to the funders as I never would have been able to pay for it myself. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to build a better life for me and my family.”
Over the next two years, the Maritime Futures programme will offer training to 100 young people aged 16-25 and the unemployed – with the aim of 75 per cent securing employment within 12 months.
Councillor Rosemary Pantelakis, the council’s portfolio holder for corporate services, said: “Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City is about celebrating the heritage of the city, regenerating our maritime treasures and the future of the port. Maritime Futures is one of the ways we are investing in the people of the city by developing their skills and creating opportunities to strengthen our local economy.
“It provides young and unemployed people in Hull with a meaningful training opportunity, and supports them to gain employment, while learning about the industries that made Hull the city it is today.”
Mohamed is one of six people to complete the first course. The programme is funded by Hull Maritime Foundation, a new charity supporting Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City project, which benefited from a £75,000 grant from Trinity House Maritime Charity.
