First-time visitors to the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education often are surprised at how much the school has to offer.Located in Piney Point, Maryland, the Paul Hall Center truly is a world-class facility. The campus and buildings are beautiful, the equipment cutting-edge. Most importantly, the instructors and staff are extremely knowledgeable, supportive and dedicated to the school’s mission of delivering the world’s best-trained mariners.
I have worked in conjunction with the school since its founding in 1967. Throughout the years, I’ve been most impressed by how the Paul Hall Center not only embraces change but seeks it, as a means of constantly staying ahead of our industry’s needs. Through that approach—always asking, “How can we improve?”—the Paul Hall Center has become, in my view, second to none.
With a strong emphasis on hands-on training, the school offers everything from entry-level programs to upgrading classes to license preparation to academic support and more. In recent years, the center has answered America’s heightened security needs by implementing comprehensive maritime safety and anti-terrorism training for every student who passes through the front gate. For example, the school added a small-arms range approved by the U.S. Military Sealift Command (along with accompanying curriculums) and then in early 2005 became the first facility to offer a vessel security officer course approved by the U.S. Maritime Administration.
Those are just two examples among many that illustrate the Paul Hall Center’s commitment to offering the most useful, important, up-to-date training anywhere in our industry. The school also has been a leader in providing STCW-mandated training, and was the first to publish a Coast Guard training record book to meet international shipping regulations.
Similarly, the school was among the first maritime facilities to provide shiphandling simulators for training, and it was the first to offer an oil-spill prevention and containment class. Additionally, the Paul Hall Center was the first to institute an EPA-certified refrigerant handling class both on and off campus. It also was the first to establish a culinary institute dedicated to food preparation aboard ship.
With the rebirth of the American-flag deep sea cruise ship industry, the school has developed new courses and built additional facilities specifically to help meet the manpower needs of this important component of the U.S. fleet. Here again, it’s another example of how the Paul Hall Center unfailingly fulfills its purpose.
As you can tell, I’m proud to be associated with the school, which is a joint trust between the Seafarers International Union and its contracted employers. (The school is funded and maintained through joint contributions of signatory employers. Jointly appointed trustees then manage the contributions to most effectively operate the school.) The Paul Hall Center has trained tens of thousands of students, helping them begin and sustain productive, rewarding careers.
Honoring a strong sentiment of the school’s founder, the late SIU President Paul Hall, the center also offers plenty of academic study for those who are interested. This includes everything from basic tutoring all the way to a college degree program. In between, students can earn a GED at the Paul Hall Center and also earn college credits by completing any number of the dozens of curriculums offered.
Still, the heart of the school is maritime training—and on that score, the Paul Hall Center remains at the head of the class.
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