MANILA, Philippines – The training center of global maritime services company giant Aboitiz Jebsen has received the distinction of being international-grade after securing an International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) 9001:2008 Certification.
AJ Center for Excellence (AJCE), a premier maritime training institution formed to provide the best learning and developmental programs for Filipino and foreign seafarers, obtained its ISO certification following a takeover audit by Germanischer Lloyd (GL) Systems Certification. GL is the world’s largest ship classification society and a recognized advisor for the maritime industry.
Arleen V. Asuncion, Senior Vice President for Aboitiz Jebsen, said the training center was subjected to audit last September 5 to 6 by lead auditor Dr. Holger Manzke.
“The audit by GL Systems Certification showed no non-conformities. The auditor even went as far as taking note of positive things observed in the training center,” she said.
Among the good points mentioned were: the good mixture of permanent and hired instructors; the “very good awareness level” about ongoing changes in the maritime industry; and the approach to enable measurement of effectiveness of provided training.
“The set of quality objectives is broken down from the objectives from the group level to the specific unit,” GL also said of AJCE.
AJCE is a mission-driven maritime training institution focused on elevating the quality of Filipino and foreign seafarers alike. Its student-centric and outcomes- based approach to training and development is very much aligned to MITAGS-PMI allowing a strong bond for the partnership to assist the industry in ensuring safe navigation of ships.
Its faculty is backed with continuous competency development programs including the latest industry requirements and upgrading courses from Classification Societies.
AJCE training staff members are IMO 6.09- and 3.12-certified. The facility also uses simulators as a tool for training and assessment and Instructors using the equipment have undergone proper Simulator Instructor and Assessor Training Course (SIATC) inlcuding equipment-specific training provided by the makers.
AJCE provides In-house training requirements to cater various types of ships including dry-bulk cargo vessels, offshore, cruise ships, and container ships. It also offers training on higher safety standards and training innovations in the tanker industry.
Ms. Asuncion said the ISO certification buoy up AJCE to continue taking the lead in providing training to shipping crew and officers to enable them to continue becoming competitive in the world market.
“The ISO certification validates yet again the reputation of AJCE as a premier and quality maritime training institution worldwide. This will continue to drive us to adopt state-of-the-art technology, get expert trainers, and apply up-to-date information to sustain the successes AJCE has accomplished,” she said.
