TACLOBAN CITY—The National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP), a government maritime training and research center under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) trained a total of 10,327 seafarers, exceeding its target for this year.
The trainees include aspiring seafarers, active seafarers, maritime instructors and assessors, and other allied personnel in the maritime industry.
Mayla Macadawan, deputy executive director of NMP, said the number is beyond the 10,000 target for this year as stated under its commitment on the Office
Performance Commitment Review as part of the agency’s major deliverables for 2017.
NMP, an attached agency of DOLE, has its head office in Cabalawan, Tacloban City with a sub-office in Metro Manila.
Macadawan said as part of its commitment to prompt service, NMP trainees were able to receive their certification within two weeks after the successful completion of their course requirements.
She added 99.55 percent of the respondent-trainees rated NMP trainings as good or better.
“These figures reflect the NMP’s untiring endeavors to ensure the quality of its training offerings,” Macadawan said.
She said additional courses related to Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Convention are now in the process for accreditation at the National Maritime Authority, which will be offered on the second quarter
of next year.
“This would mean additional enrollees to be trained and certificated by the end of next year,” she said.
NMP targets to train 12,000 seafarers in 2018. The STCW Conventions, which the Philippine government ratified, sets qualification standards for masters, officers and watch personnel on seagoing merchant ships.
Macadawan said the NMP also continues to upgrade its facilities and provide maritime trainings required pursuant to STCW, including value-adding courses toward improving the qualification of Filipino seafarers for their employment acceptability and enhanced competitiveness. It also regularly conducts maritime studies to come up with policies for the improvement of the manpower sector of the industry.