NMP reaffirms commitment to quality maritime education and training in 2020

NMP reaffirms commitment to quality MET this year
January 15, 2020 https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/01/15/business/maritime-business/nmp-re...

The National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) takes on the year 2020 with a positive disposition and reaffirmed commitment to quality maritime education and training (MET) for the Filipino seafarers and its allied labor force.

This statement was confirmed by NMP Executive Director Joel B. Manglunsod as the institution’s intervention to the critical challenges affecting the country’s maritime industry.

“NMP will continue to pursue its priority thrusts on training quality, accessibility and relevance of its training programs, and the responsiveness of its maritime researches,” he said.

It can be recalled that the Philippine MET was beset with two main challenges: the global market supply-and-demand scenario with emphasis on the oversupply of cadets and ratings in an industry that has not raised the demand for said positions; and the implementation of the revised Standard of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention and Code.

In response to these challenges, the NMP identified industry and agency specific interventions that are attainable on its level to include enhanced quality and relevance of training, institutionalized Maritime Assessment Program, enhanced responsiveness on maritime research, improved accessibility of training, and establishment of linkages for resource generation, technical cooperation and agency visibility.

NMP also recognized the advent of technology in the application of education by rolling out a new mobile app that verifies the authenticity of NMP issued certificates. The “NMP App” displays options to verify the authenticity of a certificate by using the name, birthdate of the trainee, and certificate number among other pertinent information to verify the authenticity of said documents.

The free service app also allows trainees to verify if they are already enrolled in their preferred schedule for Professional Development Courses.

NMP has also inaugurated its Wharf Extension for the Free-Fall Enclosed Lifeboat project.

The ceremony was led by Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Undersecretary Renato L. Ebarle representing DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd. The Php 26.2 million structure was conceptualized in view of the donated Free-Fall Enclosed Lifeboat by the Associated Marine Officers’ and Seaman’s Union of the Philippines (Amosup).

This addition to the NMP’s existing training facilities is expected to significantly improve the conduct of quality maritime training services and would enable NMP to offer the Proficiency in Free-Fall Lifeboat Course which is targeted to be developed by the end of June 2020.