Policy of Maritime Education and Training In the Philippines.
The maritime education and training program in the Philippines was
introduced to produce qualified personnel for the country's maritime industry. The program
was geared to the direction of professional graduates who serve as ratings, cadets, and
officers of the deck and engine departments mainly in ocean going vessels.
Eighty-three years after the creation of the Philippine Nautical School
in 1913, there are now one hundred eleven (111) maritime institutions offering maritime
education and thirty eight (38) training centers, both privately and governmentally owned.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Panel for
Engineering, Architecture and Maritime Education (TPEAME) conducted an appraisal and found
out that most of the maritime institutions are far below the criterion set by the CHED.
Although, the maritime institutions strove hard in their own ways for excellence, their
facilities and resources are limited. Advanced equipment for training is unavailable in
the domestic market. These are imported and are heavily taxed by the Bureau of Customs
upon entry. Linkages with the shipping industry erroneously resent the schools for raking
profits from their graduates. Research and development were not given importance to
generate whatever opportunities there might have been for maritime education.
On the other hand, maritime training centers that provide for the re-
training and skills upgrading of seafarers are duly accredited by the Maritime Training
Council (MTC). Relative to the existence of these training centers, the MTC was created to
monitor developments in the employment vis-à-vis qualification requirements,
develop and formulate as well as implement training programs in order to property respond
to the constantly changing employment trends. But more importantly, MTC's existence is
attributed to the Philippines' accession to the STCW.
There is no need to belabor the importance of training towards more
employable seamen and officers. The growing trend among shipowners to engage foreign
personnel on full-crew arrangement in order to minimize cultural conflicts indicates the
rich opportunities open for the maritime career.
The Existing Maritime Education Program.
There are four (4) maritime education programs offered by the private
and government-owned schools approved by CHED They are as follows:
i) BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MARINE TRANSPORTATION (BSMT).
The program is designed to produce appropriate, adequate and trainable
graduates in Navigation and Seamanship. After completing the
