Trainingportal – Pivotal to Prosafe’s Global Operations

"Trainingportal's flexibility and cost-efficiency has made it pivotal to our daily operations around the world,"
said Duncan Palmer, senior manager HR, Prosafe.

Prosafe is the leading owner and operator of semi-submersible accommodation, safety and support vessels ­– often referred to as flotels – in the world. From its offices in the UK, Norway, Singapore, Brazil, Cyprus and Jersey, the company services offshore operations in challenging waters worldwide. Its track record includes operations off the shores of the UK, Norway, Mexico, USA, Brazil, Denmark, Tunisia, West Africa, Australia, the Philippines and Russia. ­

A Focal Point of our Business

Duncan Palmer, has 15 years’ HR experience in the offshore and maritime sectors. As an experienced HR professional with global responsibility for all Prosafe’s HR activities, he recognises the value both of a solution that is cost effective for the company and empowering for employees, as well as a flexible and service-oriented supplier.

"Global training management services (TMS)­­ provided by Mintra using Trainingportal is an important focal point for our business and pivotal to our daily operations in the UK, Norway, Brazil and Singapore both offshore and onshore," sais Palmer, who divides his time between teams in Aberdeen, Singapore and Rio de Janeiro.

Compliance & Competence Tool

"The TMS provided includes the provision of training management database and services, vendor management including procurement and invoicing consolidation, negotiations, booking and coordination of all training requirements, certification management, competency tracking and management reporting.

"We aim to deliver safe and cost-efficient accommodation services to our clients, and in this respect, training is an important tool to ensure that our employees have the required skills and competence, and that we succeed in reaching this goal. The sectors we operate in – offshore and maritime – are strictly regulated. This implies that we may be audited at any time, therefore demonstrating both compliance and competence is crucial to our very existence as an enterprise.

24/7 365 Access

"Trainingportal allows us to effectively review and manage training matrices, certification and competence, whilst at an individual level, undertake GAP analyses and identify individual training requirements. Additionally, Trainingportal provides a capable reporting functionality to enable the production of management information. As Trainingportal is web-based, it provides 24/7 365 access, which is invaluable both for operational vessels and office locations."

Prosafe’s vessels have accommodation capacity for 306-780 people and offer high quality welfare and catering facilities, storage, workshops, offices, medical services, deck cranes as well as lifesaving equipment and equipment for firefighting. A telescopic gangway connects the vessel to the host installation.

Cost effective continuous employee development and competence management are essential to Prosafe’s operations. Mr Palmer said: "It is an integral part of managing our marine operations. With only two internal resources we are able to manage the training needs of a workforce of more than 600 people. Needless to say, we consider this effective as it allows us to focus our resources elsewhere in the business and the economic benefits are considerable.

A Flexible Solution

"The solution provides the company with a high degree of flexibility and places the responsibility for individual development in the hands of the employee, which has been well received throughout the fleet. Whilst we have to monitor our training and competence compliance closely, employees feel empowered to plan their development requirements around their work and leave schedules, giving them greater control over their work/life balance than they previously had when we did not have an automated system.

"Flexibility is a key quality to Prosafe, both in the solution and the provider. As a company and as a client, we set our standards high. And as a provider, Mintra has convinced us with a high level of flexibility and competence. They demonstrate that they are more than able to meet these standards. We perceive them as costumer focused, easy to work with and both service-minded and open-minded."