The fifth nautical workshop has started in Cologne
Once again, nautical trainees from all over Germany are coming to the cathedral city to gain important impetus for their vocational training. This is the fifth nautical workshop that KölnTourist Personenschiffahrt has organized in cooperation with Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrt since 2020. From 28.10. to 18.11.2024, experienced nautical experts will take the young trainees by the hand in three different courses for trainees in the three years of their apprenticeship and help them to practise the theoretical and practical content of the block course at the Schiffer-Berufskolleg Rhein in Duisburg.
In addition to the traditional skills of knotting, splicing and handling rope and wire, the trainees also learn about waterways, traffic theory in inland navigation, mathematics, navigation, nautical charts and how to use life jackets and the dinghy in Niehl harbor. There are also excursions to the water police, the bunker boat or the shipyard to get to know the professional environment better.
Sharing experiences with enthusiasm
"The profession of a bargeman is something very special," explains Michael Schmitz, one of the managing directors of KölnTourist Personenschifffahrt and skipper of the MS RheinLand, on which the workshop will take place in 2024. "Although I was born into a shipping family and was practically born with a passion for ships, my mother insisted that I complete my training in a different shipping company. And this step was absolutely the right one, as it was the only way I could really learn all facets of the profession."
This view also had a strong influence on the conception of the nautical workshop. Mother and second Managing Director of KölnTourist Angelika Schmitz explains: "The project was born out of the desire to offer the young men and women who have chosen this profession a space to expand and deepen their knowledge and practise it in a practical environment. In addition, they get to know other trainers than their own and, of course, other trainees from all over Germany, can exchange experiences and learn from each other. This is invaluable for everyone involved, the trainees and their training companies." In 2024, young bargemen and women from the Danube, Rhine and Main, Spree and Lake Constance, for example, will be taking part.
The traditional craft of an inland waterway boatman involves three years of training. It is also possible to train directly as an inland waterway captain in three and a half years. Both training paths take place in the dual system. Apprentices generally learn the practical part of the profession on the ships of their training companies. During the annual three-month block course at the Schiffer-Berufskolleg Rhein in Duisburg-Homberg, more specialized theoretical and practical lessons take place. During this time, the prospective bargemen and bargewomen are accommodated on the Rhine training ship in the Homberg city harbor. Once they have passed their final examination, they become a permanent and important part of the crew. Inland navigation is an important economic and ecological mode of transport throughout Europe and provides logistical access to the internal market from and to the seaports. In addition to traditional bulk cargo via containers and liquid goods, heavy goods are also transported throughout Europe without traffic restrictions. But the prospective boatmen and women are also deployed on passenger ships, ferries, government vessels and river cruise ships.
About KölnTourist Personenschiffahrt:
KölnTourist offers boat trips and boat charters at the most important hubs on the Rhine in the Cologne/Bonn area, an unforgettable and exclusive variety of experiences for a real change of perspective, plenty of relaxation and lots of good humor on one of the most beautiful rivers in Europe. A personal and individual service, delicious food from selected partners and a very good price-performance ratio round off the offer.
KölnTourist is a privately run shipping company with decades of tradition and shipping expertise. The fleet is technically state-of-the-art, because passenger safety is always the focus. The interior of the fleet is always well maintained. With a view to the environment and future generations, the company embarked on a journey towards greater sustainability in passenger shipping some time ago. KölnTourist sees itself as a true friend and partner to its guests and is open to the world. The employees are authentic and love what they do - with regard to their fleet, their offers, their guests and the team.
