Smart Seas VHF Radio Training Workshop
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February 4, 2025 - February 6, 2025
Venue: Headquarters, Telecommunications Authority Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago
The VHF-DSC Radio Training Workshop is an activity under the ITU/CTU/TATT Smart Seas Toolkit for Disaster Resilience (“Smart Seas”) Project. It sets out to strengthen the digital skills of Caribbean Small-scale fishers with respect to maritime band very high frequency-digital selective calling (VHF-DSC) radios. These radios play a critical role in disaster resilience of all mariners, and has the potential to be integrated into, and used during everyday fishing activities. As it is a specialised communications device, carriage, training and certification is required to many vessel types through the International Convention of Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS Convention; IMO 1976) and the Radio Regulations (ITU 2024). This carriage and certification obligation does not, however, apply to small-scale fishers which, among other things, is one reason for their low adoption and usage rate.
This Workshop sets out to strengthen the digital skills of SSF with respect to maritime band VHF-DSC radios and to collaborate with key agencies, such as MRCCs, coast stations, spectrum management agencies and disaster management agencies, to support collaboration within the ecosystem.
This workshop will be held at the Headquarters of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago
REGISTERAgenda (Download)
| Day 1: Radio Basics (Download) | Day 2: Voice & Digital Selective Calling (Download) | Day 3: Radio in Practice (Download) |
| Time | Item | Speaker/Facilitator |
| Day 1: Radio Basics | ||
| 08:00 | Registration | Smart Seas & IEEE Teams |
| 09:00 | Workshop opening | Mr. Tariq Mohammed, Project Officer, ITU |
| 09:05 | Welcome remarks: ITU, CTU, TATT | Mr. Cleveland Thomas, Area Representative Caribbean Region
Mr. Nigel Cassimire, Deputy Secretary General, CTU Mrs. Cynthia Reddock-Downes, Chief Executive Officer, TATT |
| 09:20 | Workshop overview | Mr. Tariq Mohammed |
| 09:35 | Ice Breaker | |
| 09:45 | Maritime radio theory | Dr. Kim Mallalieu, Expert Advisor (pro bono), Smart Seas Project |
| 10:15 |
Break |
|
| 10:30 | Radio walkthrough | Mr. Tariq Mohammed &
Dr. Kim Mallalieu |
| 11:00 | Voice technique & procedures | |
| 12:00 | Voice calls: distress | |
| 13:50 | Recap & Day 1 closure | |
| 14:00 |
Lunch Trainers available for additional support |
|
| Time | Item | Speaker/Facilitator |
| Day 2: Voice & Digital Selective Calling | ||
| 09:00 | Day 2 opening | Mr. Tariq Mohammed |
| 09:10 | Recap: voice technique & procedure; voice calls | |
| 10:00 | DSC alerts: distress | |
| 10:30 |
Break |
|
| 10:45 | DSC alerts: urgency, safety & test | Mr. Tariq Mohammed |
| 13:50 | Recap & Day 2 closure | Dr. Kim Mallalieu |
| 14:00 |
Lunch Optional: Trainers avail for 1 hour for additional support |
|
| Time | Item | Speaker/Facilitator |
| Day 3: Radio in Practice | ||
| 09:00 | Day 3 opening | Mr. Tariq Mohammed |
| 09:10 | Recap: DSC alerts | |
| 11:00 |
Break |
|
| 11:20 | Rules of the road (TEMA, TTCG) | Mr. Curtis Roberts, Telecommunications Officer, Tobago Emergency Management Agency
TBC, Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) |
| 11:40 | Licensing (TATT) | TBD, TATT |
| 12:00 | Open mic | All participants |
| 12:30 | Workshop recap & closure | Dr. Kim Mallalieu, Expert Advisor, Smart Seas Project |
| 12:45 | Award of certificates & group photo | |
| 13:15 |
Lunch Optional: Networking & licensing opportunity |
|
 ITU Caribbean Representative ITU Caribbean Office Cleveland Thomas Effective August 14th, 2011 Mr. Cleveland Thomas was appointed the ITU Representative for the Caribbean. Prior to this appointment Mr. Thomas was the CEO for the State Enterprise, National Information and Communication Technology Company Limited (Trinidad and Tobago). He also held the post of National Chief Information Officer (NCIO) for the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. As NCIO and CEO, Cleveland was charged with the responsibility to implement the Government’s Vision for development: improvement in health care, education, computers for students, commerce, transport, security etc, through technology. Mr. Thomas brings a wealth of ITU experience. He was Trinidad and Tobago’s representative at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for over 14 years and sat as the Caribbean region’s representative at the ITU Council. He chaired a number of Study Groups, Rapporteur Groups and was TAL’s chairman. He also made presentations to government officials in Russia, the Caribbean, Fiji, Botswana and Zimbabwe. |
 Deputy Secretary-General, CTU Nigel Cassimire Nigel Cassimire is a telecommunications engineer with over thirty years of experience in the technical, operational and executive management of telecommunications systems and services. He has intimate understanding of a broad range of information and communications technologies and services, with practical experience in network and service planning, operations management and domestic and international telecommunications policy development. Mr. Cassimire has functioned as a Consulting Telecommunications Specialist since July 2005 and has worked extensively with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) Secretariat in Port of Spain developing and promoting harmonised Caribbean positions in the areas of spectrum management, Internet governance and ICT policy. He has also successfully conducted consultancies for several of the member governments of the CTU. Mr. Cassimire has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering as well as a Diploma in Management Studies from The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. He is a fellow of the Telecommunications Engineering and Management Institute of Canada (TEMIC) and an alumnus of the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD, Fountainbleau, France |
 Technical Supervisor, Special Advisor and Expert, Smart Seas Project Dr. Kim Mallalieu Kim Mallalieu is pro bono technical supervisor, special advisor and expert for the Smart Seas Project. She works in multidisciplinary capacities to enable the benefit of information and communications technology (ICT) for all. She does so through several roles including senior lecturer and leader of the Communication Systems Group in Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of the West Indies (UWI), chair of the Campus ICT Steering Committee, principal investigator of the Caribbean ICT Research Program, deputy chair of the Board of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT), vice chair of the Advisory Board for the Network of Women in the Development Sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), chair of the Network of Women in Permanent Consultative Committee I (PCC.I) of the Inter ‑ American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), coordinator of the PCC.I Mentoring program, and chief rapporteur of UN ’ s Universal Safeguards for DPI (SafeDPI) Initiative. Dr. Mallalieu has led national, regional and international initiatives variously designed to build capacity in ICT policy, regulation, development, application and use. Among these is the Master’s degree in Telecommunications Regulation and Policy, MRP (Telecommunications). She also co-delivers courses in Carnegie Mellon University’s Centre for Executive Education in Technology Policy. Her rich service portfolio includes past and present membership on boards, commissions, cabinet appointed committees and technical working groups at institutional, national and regional levels in operational as well as advisory roles. Recent memberships include the Digital Society Technical Working Group of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Among other credentials, Dr. Mallalieu holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from MIT and a PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from University College London. She is a licensed amateur radio and GMDSS short range operator, and a member of Radio Emergency Associated Communication Teams (REACT). She is also a Fulbright Fellow and the recipient of local, regional and international teaching and research awards, and other awards of distinction |
 Consultant, ITU Tariq Mohammed Tariq holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering with first-class honours from The University of the West Indies (UWI), where he specialized in communications systems and graduated at the top of his class. Currently, he is pursuing an MPhil/PhD in the same field at UWI. Tariq is the lead consultant on a telecommunications project in the Caribbean, working under the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations specialized agency for ICTs. In addition to consultancies under UN Projects, Tariq chairs and coordinates the Caribbean Youth Internet Governance Forum (CYIGF), serving as one of the region’s representatives at the United Nations Internet Governance Forum and Youth Track; and is the Vice-Chair of IEEE Young Professionals, Trinidad and Tobago. Committed to regional development, Tariq is passionate about advancing digital agendas and supporting universal and meaningful connection for all through inclusive and sustainable practices. |
