The Instructor’s Course and the Assessor’s Course, that is what most of us call it. Many seafarers see it as a way to earn a job after they decided to leave the ship. But it is more than that. This two model course of IMO not only teaches us how to be an effective instructor and assessor but it also motivates us on how noble is a seafarer’s life.

People often ask how will I be able to study this two model course and what are the requirements? I didn’t have any problem finding that, I go to Google and type in “IMO Model course 6.09” and it gave me NMP (National Maritime Polytechnic). And the requirements are not that hard to complete, I just bring:

• A photocopy of my license certificate
• 2×2 and 1×1 picture with shoulder board rank
• And pay my tuition fee.

At first I was skeptical, thinking that these will be easy for me. It’s just like normal training and seminar that I attended. But I was wrong. It was challenging everyday that I was inside the class and when I arrive home. When we started speaking in front of the class, it was the most uncomfortable feeling that I ever felt. I am used to talk to a battalion during my high schooldays and teach training and drills on-board the ship but never felt that pressure when I’m studying MC 6.09.

MC 6.09 changes me. It opens my mind about the method of teaching. It also encourages me to strive more to teach and share my knowledge. “Values are caught, not taught”; these are the words that I will always remember. Thanks to the wisdom of our mentors Dr. Sevilla, Ms. Mendoza, and Ms. Bautista; we have unlearned our old fashion way of teaching and learned the new and better way of teaching.

What about 3.12?

IMO MC 3.12 deals more with assessment. It is more of assessing a seafarer if he or she is competent for the task base on standards set by IMO. In this course you will:

• Know more about the STCW Convention
• The organizational structure of the country’s maritime industry.
• The quality system.
• Competence based standards
• Assessment, examination, and certification processes and a lot more.

The moment you undergo MC 3.12, you’ll appreciate the value of being a seafarer. We normally say that as a seafarer we are more into the salary that we receive from our job. But the nobility of being a seafarer is far more than that. The skills and knowledge of a seafarer plus their dedication and love for their family separates them from the rest. I never imagined that being a mariner is a never-ending lifestyle of study and work. We study and work while we are onboard the ship, and while we are on vacation. We should be proud to be known as a seafarer.

Learn from experience.

The training I took from N.M.P. made me a better person. It makes a foundation of knowledge and values that may took time to learn if nobody will guide us on how to achieve it. But it’s a pity that N.M.P. Manila is not given a chance to transfer to a better and more convenient place to conduct their training and seminar. The government may have deliberately forgotten them or blindly accept the fact that it is giving favor to private maritime training centers and leaving behind an institution that is giving quality training to seafarers at a cheaper price. It is truly one of the best Maritime Training Center of the Philippines.

Every Filipino seafarer hopes for a better maritime industry in the Philippines. We have always hoped for a “Maritime Department” in our government, so our seafarers will not be confused on who is in charge of us. We may never see it fulfilled if nobody will even bother to act on it.

Bottom Line…

“The money sent home by overseas Filipino sailors rose by $108 million to a new record of $2.501 billion in the first nine months of 2009, an increase of or 4.51 per cent from $2.393 billion over the same period in 2008, according to the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).”
- Overseas-Filipinos.blogspot.com

The seafarers are the largest contributor of dollars in the Philippines but do our government cares about us? It is something to think about and hope for the best. If you want to add more in this article, place your comment below and let your opinion be heard. And if you want to know more on how to enroll at NMP (National Maritime Polytechnic), just contact them on:

NMP Manila Office
2/F E.C.C. Building
355 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue
(formerly Buendia) Makati City
Tel. Nos. (02) 899 3683 / 897 2767
e-mail: nmpmnl@yahoo.com
website: www.nmp.gov.ph

Tags: IMO Model Course 3.12, IMO Model Course 6.09, maritime industry, maritime training center of the philippines, national maritime, quality system