CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS A WAY OF LIFE
During my 30 years of service as an Officer in the Chilean Navy, I was prepared to perform my duty with the highest efficiency in my operational and/or administrative position, regardless of the condition or circumstances in which I found myself. This allowed me to be part of a human team subjected to a continuous system of intellectual and operative professional preparation. In my personal case, it allowed me to successfully complete different instances of study and, together with my crews and work teams, to navigate thousands of miles safely, successfully carry out surveillance and rescue operations, support isolated areas or ensure the maintenance and reliability of the network of aids to national maritime navigation, among countless other tasks.
The above makes it clear that, in order to carry out a task in a professional and efficient manner, it is our duty as professionals to undergo continuous training and qualification in the areas in which we are immersed, whether this is imposed on us or by personal initiative. In this context, during the 11 years that I served as Chief of the Maritime Signaling Service, I always sought the opportunity to keep my technical knowledge updated in the field of aids to navigation, either through courses given by the International Association of Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), training with equipment and service providers and through the valuable and disinterested delivery of experience by the specialists in Lighthouses (Lighthouse Keepers) of the national Navy.
In this context, that of professional training, it is worth mentioning the important work carried out by the IALA Global Academy, whose purpose is to contribute to all coastal States having an efficient global network of aids to maritime navigation and services for the safety and efficiency of navigation, through capacity building and the exchange of knowledge, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention, Chapter V, Rules 12 and 13. Indeed, there are many people who are unaware that the Contracting States of the SOLAS Convention are obliged to take into consideration the IALA Recommendations, which allow them to install and operate aids to navigation in those areas where the volume of traffic and/or the degree of risk so require. Therefore, IALA has generated a series of model courses, which seek to harmonize the minimum technical knowledge necessary to be mastered by Technical (Level 2) and Aids to Navigation Administrator personnel, as well as by personnel operating VTS stations.
Following the IALA model courses allows, along with increasing technical knowledge in the field of aids to navigation, to begin to generate a holistic view of how aids to navigation interact with other elements of the maritime field, such as marine terminals, port infrastructures, ships and maritime personnel.
Finally, I invite you to seek continuing professional education as a way of life, since mistakes in the field of maritime safety cost lives and/or can cause profound damage to the marine environment.
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