STC International (legal name STC-Group Holding B.V.) is a full subsidiary of the STC Group, based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

The STC Group Holding B.V. comprises on one hand, the regular activities connected to vocational education on various levels, from lower vocational education and secondary school specialized in the logistic sector, up to the level of BSc Maritime Officer and a Master’s degree in Transport. On the other hand it offers commercial activities in the field of maritime professional training, consultancy and operational research.

The STC Group utilizes state-of the-art simulators and employs a highly skilled and experienced staff of 500 professionals. Most activities are tailor-made to the specific requirements of the customer. In the year 2000, the STC Group was certified by DNV as the first education and training institute in The Netherlands to obtain the ‘Investor in People’ distinction, and it has kept this quality mark ever since.

STC Group company structure

STC Training and Consultancy (legal name STC B.V.), a subsidiary of the STC Group Holding B.V., is located in Rotterdam and activities are concentrated in the locations at the Lloydstraat, Wilhelminakade, Waalhaven and Quarantaineweg. The consultancy, research and training activities of STC Training and Consultancy cover a full range within the shipping, port and transport sectors. STC Training and Consultancy conducts the complimentary core activities of maritime consultancy, operational research and training by combining advanced simulation with the capabilities of a highly skilled and knowledgeable staff for both vessel and shore related activities. These activities are conducted at their premises or may be “on location” at those of the client. It is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company. Furthermore STC Training and Consultancy complies with the “DNV GL Standards for Maritime Training Providers” and also develops and maintains its own bridge simulator system in accordance with DNG GL Class A according to “DNV GL Standards for Maritime simulator systems” in order to assure the quality of both our training and simulators. In addition, the Dutch Ministry of Transport has certified the simulators and several training courses of STC Training and Consultancy

Consultancy, Operational Research and Training

Within the field of Consultancy STC Training and Consultancy offers services for both nautical and shore-based needs. In addition, within the field of VTMIS the consultancy activities of STC Group are widespread, including: user requirements; functional requirements; system performance; development of procedures; efficiency of information systems; shore-based pilotage; testing of new applications; and human factors. Customised training and recommendations on manning, including selection procedures, on both a National and International level, are supported by these activities.

Within the field of Operational Research STC Group specialises in the following: Port Development and Optimisation; Tug Performance Studies; Assessment Centre Methodology; Risk Assessment; Human Factors; Marine Policy Related Studies; Ship Hydrodynamics; and Accident Reconstruction. Using its full mission bridge simulators in an interactive configuration, complex jetty mooring operations and offshore tow-outs of FPSO’s can be fully pre-planned and trial manoeuvres conducted by future mooring masters and towing masters.

Within the field of Training, STC Group concentrates on both nautical and shore related training. STC Group offers an in depth curriculum of proficiency training, backed by refresher courses. Training activities include Engine Room Resource Management; Bridge Resource Management; Joystick manoeuvring; Ship Handling; VTS and VTMIS training; Marine Pilot training; Voyage Management; and Crisis Management and Crowd control. All courses can be tailor-made to the customer’s wishes.

The STC Group owns an associate company with the ‘KNRM’ (Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution): STC-KNRM. STC-KNRM provides ‘emergency response’ training for professionals from the Offshore & Maritime sectors in a modern ‘state of the art’ training centre, which is conveniently situated in the middle of the Rotterdam Harbour Area.

STC-KNRM is ISO certificated and approved by NOGEPA, OPITO, IVW/STCW and OLF (for the Norwegian Supplement to the BOSIET/FOET OPITO Training) accepted. In addition to Emergency Response Training, STC-KNRM provides her clients with on-board/on location training and consultancy and/or audits on various aspects of maritime safety, including fast craft training.

STC Group – Worldwide Activities

The development of foreign activities is one of the goals of the STC Group. Next to the intrinsic motivation to offer public facilities in the areas of education and training to developing countries (and to improve transport and maritime knowledge in these countries, at the same time), the strategy to strengthen the STC Group’s internal basis also applies in this case and serves as a point of departure. In addition to the above mentioned we also wish to serve our customers worldwide. An increasing number of clients in our portfolio are operating worldwide and want to have the same educational and training levels existing in Europe.

STC Group operates joint venture training institutes in Vietnam, Philippines, Oman and South Africa. Most of the institutes are equipped with the same simulators and training facilities as in Rotterdam. In the near future STC will expand their activities in other parts of the world. Activities executed in these training centres are not only courses on transport and shipping management, but also short courses such as Bridge Resource Management, Engine room Resource Management, Ship Handling and safety courses.

Furthermore, long-term contracts are in place with a number of partners. One example is the cooperation with the Kazakh-British Technical University in Almaty, Kazakhstan. STC Group is responsible for managing the Kazakhstan Maritime Academy (KMA). STC Group provides the professional teaching staff for maritime subjects and provides consultancy in related fields such as Maritime Simulators, Workshops and apprenticeship of KMA cadets.

STC-Southern Africa Pty Ltd.

STC-Southern Africa Pty Ltd. (STC-SA) is located in Cape Town and Durban. From these two locations, STC-SA offers a full range of STCW and OPITO training programmes, research and consultancy projects serving the transport sector in Sub-Saharan Africa on a project basis. Please see the STC-SA page for more information.

Netherlands Shipping Training Centre

In conjunction with the Royal Dutch Ship-owners Association (KVNR), the STC Group supports a maritime academy in the Philippines and manages a nautical training centre: Netherlands Shipping Training Centre (NSTC). This centre, located in Palompon, provides maritime courses and practical nautical training in accordance with the guidelines of the STCW Convention and supplies hundreds of young officers to the Dutch merchant navy each year. This location provides facilities that can be deployed for trainings such as basic firefighting, basic fire protection, personal safety et cetera. It also houses a set of Kongsberg bridge and ECDIS simulators;

Kazakhstan Maritime Academy

The Kazakhstan Maritime Academy (KMA), located in Almaty, Kazakhstan, is an initiative by Tengizchevroil (a consortium of oil companies), the Kazakh British University and the STC Group. The KMA was founded to meet the increasing demand for well-educated and qualified seafarers for the growing tanker fleet operating in the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea and other seas. In 2011, the STC Group won the international requested tender and took the lead in the development of the maritime education of the KMA. The KMA academic program started in August 2012. The STC Group is responsible for the four-year educational program and the advanced Kongsberg bridge, engine room and cargo handling simulators. All nautical and technical courses are delivered in English and taught by STC teachers. Furthermore, the STC Group is developing an extensive train-the-trainer program to educate local teachers.

International Maritime College Oman

Founded in 2005, IMCO (International Maritime College Oman) is a joint venture between the Oman government and STC International. IMCO offers Bachelor’s-level courses for navigation (helmsman and marine engineer), logistics (including port logistics) and the processing industry. IMCO is the only educational institution in the Gulf Region to offer a complete package of courses for navigation, logistics and the port-based processing industry. Since February 2016, STC Group’s Netherlands Maritime University (NMU) offers a full-time Master of Science Shipping and Transport in Oman.

Maritime Education and Human Resource Center

The Maritime Education and Human Resource Center (UT-STC), located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was founded in 2005 and became fully operational in 2006 when the bridge-, cargo- and engine room simulators were installed. UT-STC is a modern, well equipped training Center with 4 DNV approved full mission bridge simulators, a cargo simulator, an engine room simulator and computer based training facilities. Both the cargo and engine room simulators were delivered by Kongsberg Maritime. Furthermore there are training facilities available for firefighting and lifesaving courses as required under STCW.

During its entire existence, STC Group has not only been training its own teachers and instructors proper didactical teaching methods, course development and training methods with and without simulators. It has also been providing future (STCW) instructors with didactical courses all over the world, including courses following the IMO model courses for Train the Instructor (6.09); Train the Simulator Trainer and Assessor (6.10); and Train the Assessor (3.12). Participants in these courses came from i.e. the Netherlands, Colombia, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Oman, Brazil, Vietnam and Georgia.

Vision on training

The STC Group has a vision on training, which is based on an old Chinese adage, often credited to Confucius:

• I hear and forget
• I see and remember
• I do and understand

STC Group therefore designs all training and courses to broaden and accelerate an individual’s attitude, skills and knowledge (ASK Methodology), placing that person in circumstances that will help sharpen handling skills and decision-making capabilities. STC Group is convinced that employees are only properly trained once they have attained the right combination of knowledge, skills and appropriate behaviour. The organization’s educational model has been adjusted accordingly.