Sphere
#37
2015
17
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employment, over 25,000 people have
found jobs thanks to the Ports of Cristóbal
and Balboa in related industries such as
storage, distribution and vessel repairs.
“For a country of four million people, that’s
a huge impact, and it’s why our ports are
so important and highly regarded in this
country,” says Mr Ibarreche. On average,
PPC’s recruiting department receives
1,000 resumes per month, demonstrating
the ports’ importance and attractiveness
to the local workforce.
“The millions of dollars in investment
require continuous recruitment and
training programmes,” says Mr
Ibarreche. Workforce training drives
productivity, which guarantees a return
on the investment in infrastructure.
Accordingly, PPC consciously devotes
resources to enhance the nation’s human
capital. Many of the employees hired
are given months of training so they
can operate the ports’ largest and most
complex machinery. Employees are
encouraged and sponsored to participate
in customised management coaching
programmes and practical training
designed to accelerate learning.
“The company is aware of the fact that
human resources are the most valuable
assets of an enterprise,” says Mr Ibarreche.
“For that reason, year after year it invests
in its labour force...so that it can be fully
qualified to carry out its mission.”
Often, new recruits come from unrelated
industries or arrive completely unskilled
and benefit greatly from PPC’s world-class
training. “It’s a huge investment of time
and money,” adds Mr Ibarreche.
Educating the national workforce and
creating a better future for Panamanians
is important to Panama Ports. PPC built
and continues to sponsor a local school
in a remote province. The first generation
of students graduated in late 2014,
with PPC staff in attendance to witness
the achievement. The school, rebuilt
and refurbished by Panama Ports, has
incorporated the company’s name and
logo into its infrastructure.
Because of the ports’ integral role to the
local economy, PPC engages in frequent
and open communication with Panama’s
President, Minister of Economy and
Chamber of Commerce. “We often give
them feedback on how our operations
are going, because the ports are a vital
component in the economy,” shares
Mr Ibarreche. “Good relations with
the government, port regulators and
community are vital to the work we do.”
Just as Panama has built a country
around the two ports that connect the
world’s greatest canal, so has another city
flourished around its port: the great trading
and logistics hub of Hong Kong.
HK: Global influence
Since its colonial origins, Hong Kong’s
raison d’être has been its port. Hong Kong
became an important trading entrepot
between China and the West starting in
the mid-19th century. Between the 1950s
and 1970s, Hong Kong emerged as a
manufacturing power, its growing ports
exporting its products to the world. But
when China opened in the 1980s, Hong
Kong’s role as a port city expanded again as
China flexed its newfound manufacturing
muscle as the world’s workshop.
Big dreams: The modern era
With great foresight and ambition, Hong
Kong set out to modernise the city through
its shipping industry. That meant new
ports. Hong Kong’s container industry
launched in the 1970s, when the first large-
scale container terminal was built in Kwai
Chung. In order to accommodate the new
large container ships at Kwai Chung, more
than three million cubic yards of seabed
material were dredged to provide a depth
of 40 feet below the water’s surface, the
minimum required for modern vessels.
With 45 years of local experience and
Felixstowe
PPC
employer of choice
resumes A month
1
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