The relationship between Carnival Cruise Line and Filipino seafarers has been a very successful one for many decades. The cruise line aims to build on the Filipino base by partnering with the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy and STI, a network of colleges and schools in the Philippines.
The new partnership aims to offer more Filipinos a chance to build a career at sea. Carnival will do this by providing training programs in the Philippines and work-study opportunities onboard one of the 24 Carnival cruise ships.
More Opportunities for Filipino Seafarers
Since Carnival Cruise Line started sailing in 1972, the Filipino seafaring community has played a significant role in developing the cruise line into the giant it is today. The Philippines has had a rich maritime history, with most cruise ships relying on Filipino crew to keep ships running and guests happy.
Carnival Cruise Line SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer Bettina Deynes: “Along with bringing a lot of expertise and knowledge, the Filipino community is strong among Carnival’s shipboard team members and embodies our values and brand essence of having fun, so Carnival wants to go beyond providing traditional roles. We want to broaden the roles that they are qualified to fill, including non-traditional roles such as those within nautical operations.”
Carnival Cruise Line has entered a partnership with two major educational institutions in the Philippines to further develop this relationship and offer more opportunities for Filipino seafarers.
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The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) and STI will provide training programs in various merchant marine fields to prepare Filipino students for shipboard training on Carnival ships.
Further down the line, students will be able to take advantage of cadetship opportunities, internships, and employment opportunities.
Wide Range of Possible Positions
Filipino crew members and officers work onboard Carnival’s cruise ships in a wide variety of different positions. From Housekeeping to Food and Beverage and from navigational positions to jobs in the engine rooms and technical areas. Both PMMA and STI will develop a curriculum that will prepare students for any one of these positions.
In Manila, there will be courses related to culinary and housekeeping. However, part of the partnership also involves exploring the possibility of recruiting STI Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Institute marine transportation and marine engineering graduates for potential employment with Carnival.
“Filipino people comprise a large population of our workforce,” added Vice President for Crew and Travel Operations Richard Brearley. “We are proud to take a further step to help develop those future team members while they are still in school, providing them with more career choices.”
Carnival and the educational institutes will not only look at Manila. They will make it possible for seafarers from any of the thousands of islands in the Philippines to get the opportunity to work onboard. Carnival and its recruitment agency United Philippine Lines (UPL), have created a new system to reach these seafarers.
Working together to build a system in the Philippines to train and educate seafarers before they start their careers onboard will benefit the crew members and, above all, Carnival Cruise Line.
Training specifically aimed at working onboard Carnival’s ships will enable the cruise line to cut back on onboard training, ensuring the crew is ready to work the moment they step onboard.
It will also build lasting relationships with crew members, which will remove the substantial financial impact spent each year on recruitment fees.
