Demonstrating its commitment to nurturing top talent in the expedition travel industry for the benefit of its guests, Silversea has conducted its second Expedition Training Academy, a leadership training program held both ashore and aboard its Silver Discoverer. A small group of ambitious trainees, each with specialized knowledge in an expedition-related field, gathered in Durban, South Africa, on December 7, 2018, to begin their apprenticeship. On January 22, 2019, Silversea welcomed eight new members to the cruise line’s Expedition team in Chennai, India, following nearly seven weeks of intensive preparation.
The innovative program began with an immersive experience in a Zulu village. Participants developed a deeper understanding of cultural sensitivity by visiting such a remote community, among other activities. The experience fostered a greater understanding of what it feels like for an isolated community to interact with visitors from Silversea's expedition ships. The trainees focused their skills on how best to manage these types of cultural exchanges for the benefit of all involved.
Later, led by the Wilderness Leadership School, the group spent three nights camping in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and Nature Reserve, a vast 96,000-hectare wildlife park in the heart of Zululand. They camped under the stars and took turns standing guard for wildlife, such as lions and elephants, that might have approached in the darkness. In this wild environment, the group worked on developing skills such as orienteering, risk assessment, incident prevention, group management, effective communication strategies, conflict resolution, and emergency scenario management.
“The experience at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi provided a solid foundation in both theory and practice for becoming a wildlife guide and natural history interpreter,” said Kit van Wagner, Silversea’s Director of Expedition Training and Staff Development. “Exposure to Zulu culture and traditional landscape knowledge gave our trainees a deeper, more spiritual understanding of these people and their place on the planet. Our expedition teams share similar experiences with our guests, and these trainees now know how to offer authentic interaction.”.
Following their stay in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi, the participants boarded the Silver Discoverer for an intensive, hands-on training program to begin their journey as Expedition Team members, working alongside existing team members. With a detailed orientation to the vessel, the six-week program focused on core competencies, including vessel handling in challenging conditions, crew procedures, emergency drills, and other scenarios.
Attention was given to cross-disciplinary learning, encompassing various academic fields, including environmental and ecological knowledge and cultural sensitivity. The group of trainees had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with points of interest such as wildlife and landing sites, while simultaneously developing their Zodiac handling and first aid skills, sustainability knowledge, and guest relations skills. In the waters off Bazaruto, Mozambique, the team practiced anchoring and towing Zodiacs, accompanied by a pod of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. Snorkeling instruction seminars were held in the pristine waters of Aldabra, Ibo Island in Mozambique, and the Lakshadweep Islands off western Kerala in India, among other locations. Navigation, using both GPS and compass, was also practiced in the wilderness areas of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi National Park in South Africa and the islands of the Seychelles.
“By recruiting ambitious, multilingual individuals with a postgraduate degree or equivalent life experience, the program aims to bring fresh perspectives, open minds, and well-trained staff members to our expedition ships, thereby enhancing the experiences offered both onboard and ashore,” van Wagner continued. “The latest Expedition Leadership Academy cohort emerged with enhanced guiding, customer service, and group management skills; ideas for compelling lectures and evening recaps; and, most importantly, a deeper understanding of the complex operational protocols involved in safely hosting our guests on authentic experiences around the world.”.
The eight apprentices who have now been recruited for Silversea's industry-leading expedition team include a physical geographer, a historian, a biologist and wildlife scientist, an international studies and anthropology specialist, an ecologist and conservationist, a marine biologist, a tourism and sustainability expert, and a general naturalist and master mariner.
Silversea Expeditions allows guests to experience the authentic beauty of the world's most remote destinations in unparalleled comfort, immersing themselves in cultures, landscapes, and moments under the guidance of Silversea's industry-leading expedition team. From the Arctic to the Antarctic, across all seven continents, the cruise line's fleet of intimate ships offers some of the world's most captivating travel experiences, each providing exceptional comfort, exquisite cuisine, and outstanding service.
