Communication, professional training and collective agreement, centerpieces of the new mandate of Jaume Vaquer at the helm of AENIB
“We undertake this term with the same illusion as the previous one. We have a team that brings together renovation and experience, combining familiar faces with new ones within the board”. These have been the first declarations of Jaume Vaquer after his recent re-election as the president of the Association of Nautical Companies in the Balearics (AENIB).
We have drafted the main lines of action which are a continuation of our work so far. We are not going to make any radical changes”, he explains. “As always, we will maintain a tone of dialogue with the public administrations, considering them as our allies, but without forgetting our demands so that the sector can grow into its full potential in maximum liberty. Naturally, also without forgetting a strict compliance with our obligations and the restrictions derived from the pandemic, always working to avoid unnecessary tensions”, he explains.
On the other hand, “we have a seat at the negotiations in Madrid working on the collective agreement, still non-existent in the nautical sector”. This is one of the key projects that AENIB faces in the current legislature, in collaboration with the National Association of Nautical Companies (ANEN).
At the regional level, one of the main issues of the legislature will be to strengthen the professional nautical training in the Balearics. “Yachts arriving to Mallorca have an ever-increasing level of standards. We don´t have a sufficient number of highly skilled professionals to meet the demand, which leads to a need to subcontract companies and professionals from further afar. This means lost opportunities for our economy” warns president Vaquer. “We have to focus on being self-sufficient in order to meet the demands of the sector with our own resources, as this will be an enormous source of wealth for the Balearic Islands”, he points out.
In this respect, he emphasizes that “the companies of the sector have shown their willingness to collaborate in the professional formation of youngsters by offering apprenticeship opportunities and practical training” and reminds the Administrations of “the support that the sector requires in order to guarantee training for the youth interested in working in the nautical sector. It is a very demanding sector that requires a high level of preparation”.
Therefore, he considers that “a nautical school planned in the industrial area of Polígono Son Castello should become a reality very soon. We know that the current situation is very complicated, but it is of utmost importance to educate the youth today as not to lose the opportunities of tomorrow”, he concludes.
Reinforce the communication
One of the key elements of this mandate is a strong commitment to communication, both towards the associates so that they are up to date on all the issues that may affect them, as well as towards the society in general. It is a question of highlighting the strategic importance of the nautical sector for the economy and the Balearic society, not forgetting the attraction of nautical activities for large sections of the population – as users of the nautical services or as professionals of the sector.
“I would like to invite all the companies that have not yet found a home in any association to look into how being a member of AENIB could be useful for them and what kind of benefits they could have access to. We are constantly in touch with the associates through meetings, webinars and e-mails in order to provide all the latest information about any legal and social issues that can affect the sector. Being associated makes us all stronger”, he concludes.