TACLOBAN CITY – To keep track of its mission to hone competent seafarers abreast with the international standards, the National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) opened the enrolment of the newly developed and approved courses in 2021 namely: Ship Security Officer (SSO) and the Technical Writing for Seafarers (TWS).
These trainings were meticulously studied and went through rigid evaluation and review to ensure that quality trainings are delivered to Filipino seafarers.
The instructional materials and assessment tools for SSO course were developed in accordance with the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) standard course plan. As part of the requirements for approval and accreditation, a pilot test was conducted in April 20-22, 2021, and underwent a thorough inspection and evaluation of the MARINA-Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) and was eventually granted full accreditation last December 2021.
The SSO course is required for seafarers who are duly assigned as SSO by their shipping companies. Its objective is to provide an in-depth knowledge and understanding on the duties and responsibilities of SSO with respect to the security of a ship and in ensuring the implementation of the ship security plan.
On the other hand, along with the revised STCW requirement on English proficiency skills for seafarers, NMP developed the TWS course. This is designed to support those with limited writing experience and to strengthen the technical report writing skills of seafarers who are involved in preparing maritime reports, and various maritime correspondences. It will primarily cater to seafarers who are in the management level of responsibility. However, anybody who are in the operational and support level and those non-seafarers who are working in the maritime sector may also avail of the course.
Also, prior to the finalization of the course package for the TWS, pilot testing was conducted in August 16-20, 2021. The result and recommendations were presented to the NMP Board of Trustees (BOT) in December 2021, and was subsequently approved.
Significantly, apart from carefully developing and upgrading specialized and professional maritime courses for the Filipino seafarers, NMP also ensures that these trainings are delivered by competent trainers and instructors with state-of-the-art maritime equipment.
For more information and updates, pls visit the NMP website at www.nmp.gov.ph/, or the official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nmptrainingcenter. To view the training schedule and register online, log-in to https://register.nmp.gov.ph/. NMP’s ongoing and completed researches may be accessed through the e-Research Portal at https://research.nmp.gov.ph/.