Excerpt from story published in the Newcastle Herald, Wednesday 26 June: 

The initiative is part of the Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP) program, which encourages students to pursue maritime school-based apprenticeships or traineeships as part of their HSC.

Chloe said using the AI simulator was an incredible experience as she steered a tugboat from Newcastle Harbour and through the heads.

"It was really cool, it feels so real and you can actually feel the boat move with the swell," she said.

"I just think this is a really great opportunity, especially for the girls."

Chloe hopes to pursue a career in the maritime industry, and fortunately Svitzer is looking to offer two school-based traineeships to students who attended the day.

Svitzer training manager, Dan O'Brien said the on-site visit was an introduction to a maritime career.

"We found very much that talking about a process doesn't work what we need to do is actually show them the process - from how the vessels work, the engines to the winches," he said.

"We have put our hand up to take on two school-based trainees next year with the support of some other businesses."

Careers in maritime can include cargo shipping, shipbuilding, tugboat towing, ferries, cruise ships and offshore operations.

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