THE Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) is inviting recent high school graduates considering a maritime career to apply to the institute now for matriculation in September 2006.

Egbert Gallimore, CMI deputy executive director, says there is limited space left in the programmes offered, though entry is a year away.

The institute has already admitted its quota for 2005/06, Gallimore said.

CMI offers four main programmes – two land-based and two seafaring – which can be pursued on a full-time or part-time basis:

. Associate of Applied Science Degree in Industrial Systems, Operations and Maintenance;

. Diploma in International Shipping and Logistics;

. Officer in Charge of Engineering Watch; and

. Officer in Charge of Navigational Watch.

Entry requirements, for each course, include five Caribbean Secondary School Certificate (CSEC), subjects administered by the Caribbean Examination Council, “inclusive of Mathematics, English and science subjects”; two passport-sized photos; and two character references.

Applicants to the seafaring courses will be interviewed by a CMI admissions committee; must be medically fit; and have a clean police record.

“The interview and the medical are to ensure that (students) can cope with the situation at sea, when they are sent on the seas for phase two as a cadet,” said Gallimore.

“It is also to ensure that the students know what they want to do and are in fact making the right choice in terms of being a seafarer.”

Persons who flunk entry can opt for the diagnostic study programme to ready them for matriculation.

“We will run a programme for them for a year and at the end of it, if they obtain a GPA of 2.4 or above, they will be able to join any one of the courses,” he said.

Similarly, working with the University of Technology, CMI offers a pre-engineering course.

CMI currently admits an average of 15 students per course.

“Because the training for these programmes is really competency-based and they need to be able to do the practical with the equipment. we really don’t like to go above 15,” he said, adding however: “Sometimes we do go to 20 for the seafaring entrants, but for the associate degree and Diploma in Shipping Logistics, we can go up to 25 students.”