About us
The premium maritime training & workforce institution for Sub-Saharan Africa
We exist to do one thing exceptionally well: turn training into careers, and careers into a safer, more capable maritime industry.
Training to the standard the industry actually works to
Backed by 25+ years of operational history, international accreditation, and the STC Group’s global knowledge network, we offer the full spectrum of maritime education, offshore safety training, consultancy, and crew placement services — from a base in South Africa, a country whose STCW certificates are recognised in 131 countries worldwide.
We invest in people’s futures, not just their certifications.
Years of maritime training
Cruise candidates placed
Accredited courses across 8 categories
Training runs every week of the year
OUr story
STC-SA was established in 2001 with a founding purpose that still defines us: opening the maritime professions to those historically excluded from them, with a specific focus on transforming the port sector, training Marine Pilots, Tug Masters, and VTS Operators. Twenty-five years later, that purpose has grown into a full-spectrum institution serving every maritime sector.
Our Durban campus carries a training heritage that reaches back even further. Established in 1975 as the Unicorn Training Academy, and later the Grindrod Shipping Maritime Training Academy, it moved in 2015 to purpose-built premises in Hannah Road, where the Helicopter Underwater Escape Training simulator enabled OPITO approval. When STC-SA acquired the academy in 2021, it became a market leader with a significant footprint in all South African ports.
Our Cape Town campus was established in 2011 inside the working Port of Cape Town, strategically placed to serve the local maritime, transport, and logistics sectors, and, at short notice, the training needs of our neighbours across the Sub-Saharan region.
It is with immense pride that STC-SA has seen many seafarers progress from cadets to officers, engineers, and masters. Their journey is our story.
Vision
To be Sub-Saharan Africa’s definitive maritime workforce partner, the institution that trains, certifies, and supports placement of the professionals who keep seas, ports, and offshore operations running.
Mission
To deliver maritime training, consultancy, and workforce solutions that produce real employment outcomes, using South African expertise, internationally recognised standards, and a genuine commitment to the people and industries we serve.
What we stand for
Safety, always.
‘Safety First’ is a promise, not a slogan, the non-negotiable foundation of everything we deliver: the training environment, the quality of instruction, the validity of every certificate, and the conduct of every member of our team.
Outcomes, not transactions.
We measure success by employment, not enrolment.
South African excellence, globally portable.
Our expertise is built here and recognised internationally. We export expertise; we don’t import it.
Long-term relationships over short-term sales.
We support the sector through partnership, confident enough to let results speak.
Part of a global knowledge network
STC-SA is a subsidiary of STC-International, part of the STC Group headquartered in Rotterdam, a maritime education group of 500 professionals spanning vocational and academic maritime education, with joint-venture training institutes in South Africa, Vietnam, and Oman, and academic, consultancy, and technical assistance projects for maritime academies worldwide. In 2000, the STC Group became the first education and training institute in The Netherlands certified by DNV with the ‘Investor in People’ distinction, a quality mark it holds to this day.
For our learners and clients, this means South African training connected to global knowledge, global standards, and a global community of maritime employers. Our trajectory moves outward from South Africa: local expertise, internationally portable credentials, continent-wide reach, including independently secured accreditation from the Republic of the Marshall Islands that enables cross-border training delivery across Africa.
Our vision on training
Every course is designed to build Attitude, Skills, and Knowledge (the ASK Methodology) by placing people in circumstances that sharpen real handling skills and decision-making. It is why we train in real environments, live fire, real water, full-mission simulation, in-person assessment. Real environments are where safety matters.
I hear and forget.
I see and remember.
I do and understand.
– Confucius
Accreditation and compliance
STC-SA is accredited by the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) and the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA), is an OPITO-approved training centre, and holds accreditation from the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Further certifications include ISO (SGS), BV, and OEUK/OGUK. STC-SA is a Level 2 B-BBEE company. Accreditation integrity is one of the things we will never compromise, standards are never cut short for speed or cost.
Social impact
Through the STC Group Southern African Development Trust, STC-SA supports initiatives such as the Design26 Foundation, Reach Make iT, and MiLearning, all based in Cape Town. Our TVET college and youth partnerships open maritime career pathways for young South Africans, and our basic swimming programme removes the first barrier that keeps many capable candidates from the sea.
Meet the people. Walk the grounds.
Our doors in Cape Town and Durban are open seven days a week.