Here’s great news for Filipino seafarers: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is set to open a new manning office in Manila, through a joint venture with Philippine Transmarine Carriers. According to the cruise company, they expect significant employment growth in the Philippine market over the next five years, from a current level of 11,000 Filipino crew members to as many as 30,000. According to RCC chairman and CEO Richard Fain and Chief Global Human Resources Officer Paul Parker, Filipinos comprise the single biggest nationality out of the current 65,000 employees.
The new office, which is set to open in May 2016, is part of Royal Caribbean’s strategy to address the increased demand for talent, while simultaneously building employee engagement and improving the overall employee experience. According to the RCC execs, the focus would be on enhancing Filipinos’ skills and careers via continuing education and training. The company believes its new approach to finding new employees and bringing them into its global fleet may also be replicated in other markets.
The new manning office located in the vicinity of the Mall of Asia will see an enhanced partnership with PTC, which currently oversees these services. It will offer at sea employees a streamlined recruitment system, in a modern setting, aimed at building the company’s visibility and creating stronger awareness for its various brands.
In addition to a more efficient recruitment and hiring process, the cruise company envisions future employee experience to be more robust, including training, continuing education and personal and professional development programs for its employees. The objective, RCC said, is to maintain the company’s position and continue to make it an attractive employee in order to attract the best talent, with plans to increase the 65,000 employees to about 100,000.
“Filipinos represent our company’s largest group of at sea employees,” affirmed Parker. “We are thrilled to be able to enhance their experience through this new office and showcase our dedication to their country,” he noted, adding that they are grateful to PTC for the latter’s continued partnership and guidance as they look forward to this new joint venture.
Current and future Filipino employees will enjoy a host of new benefits, including faster and more efficient processing of documents, improved and personalized candidate experience and children’s playroom.
Royal Caribbean Cruises happens to bea global cruise vacation company that owns Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Club Cruises and CDF Croisières de France, as well as TUI Cruises through a 50 percent joint venture. Together, these six brands operate a combined total of 43 ships with an additional six under construction contracts, and two on firm order. They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on approximately 490 destinations on all seven continents.
MVP Group’s Toledo at AUS-PHL Biz Council 40th Anniversary in Sydney
MVP Group Media Bureau head Atty. Mike Toledo, who is also the senior vice president for public and regulatory affairs at Philex Mining Corp., delivered a keynote address at the 40th Anniversary celebration of the Australian Philippines Business Council. In his speech, Toledo cited the partnership through the years between the two countries and expounded on other possible areas for trade and investment. Toledo also emphasized the significant role Australia can play in mining in the Philippines, as well as in the upcoming ASEAN economic integration.
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