Travel students make a splash at the Maritime Skills Academy 

Travel and Tourism students took a trip to the Maritime Skills Academy in Dover to learn essential survival skills.  

Our Travel and Tourism students had a unique opportunity to visit the Maritime Skills Academy in Dover, to complete a personal survival techniques training day.  

During the practical elements of the academy’s course, learners were challenged with a series of activities designed to test and develop their essential survival skills.  

The session began with learners correctly putting on their lifejackets to prepare for the demanding tasks ahead. Once in the water, they showcased their ability to swim both with and without a lifejacket, which is an essential skill in unpredictable sea conditions. 

 Working together, they formed a ‘circle of trust’, a vital group survival technique, before individually boarding a survival craft from the water, without any assistance. 

Next came one of the most physically demanding tasks: righting an overturned life raft while wearing buoyant gear. Each participant took their turn, not giving up until they had flipped the raft! This was a great demonstration of our student’s determination and resilience.  

With adrenaline running high, they then practised an emergency evacuation jump, both with and without their life jackets. This jump was from six meters, simulating the high of an aircraft in an emergency landing situation.  

 Commenting on her experience, Level 3 Travel and Tourism student, Amelia, explained: “I quite liked flipping the rafts over because it looked daunting when you were doing it, but when it was flipped over, you realised that it wasn’t that hard. [Throughout the day] There was a good variety of learning how it would work if you were in like the real-life scenario. 

“I feel much more informed of what to do in an emergency. It’s useful to know how to account for both yourself and other people, because I’d be responsible for passengers [in the Travel industry.] I’d be a lot less nervous going into that situation than I would be if I hadn’t done today. 

“I learnt a lot of survival skills to help me in my future, and it was just overall really fun.” 

To cap off the session, learners faced a dramatic storm simulation, complete with freezing cold ‘rain’, the rumble of ‘thunder’ and a strobe lighting effect. In these harsh conditions, they were pushed to apply everything they had learned throughout the day. 

Jack, who aspires to work in the aviation industry, told us: “Although it was very scary, my favourite part was jumping from the big height. I was scared but the adrenaline kicked in and once you’ve done it, it’s great fun.  

“I also liked the big scenario at the end of day, pretending there was a storm. We had to be able to work as a team and communicate well with your peers.” 

Speaking about the application of the skills learnt during the course, Jack explained: “Activities like these are recognisable on a CV and they help develop your teamwork skills, resilience and independence.  

“It’s also great to learn skills that you can use for your future career, whether that’s the cruise industry or cabin crew. Plus, it’s great fun to do things like this with your mates.” 

This was an incredible experience for our young Travel and Tourism enthusiasts, which supports their career aspirations, and also gives them the opportunity to learn essential survival skills which could help save their lives in the future.  

 
Would you like your classroom to look like this? Explore our Travel and Tourism courses today.