ON LOOKING BACK AND PAYING IT FORWARD

             It has been a year since I started my post as Managing Director of NTC-M.  As I look back I would like to pay tribute to my  fellow Norwegians and to the Filipinos who have exerted  collaborative efforts  to bridge Norwegians' shipping expertise and Filipinos' quality service to respond to the emerging  needs for safe and superior  shipping services around the world.

 

            Since the commencement of the Norwegian Maritime Foundation of the Philippines Inc. more than 20 years ago, both the two legs of the foundation, NSA Philippines Cadet Program and the Training Center,  have been benevolent  avenue for constant learning process and  comprehensive training grounds of world's best seafarers.

 

             As I look forward,  I clearly see that we have our challenges. The downturn in the shipping market have a direct impact on us as well; there has been a considerable reduction in students to our center.

 

                NTC-M has been here for more than 20 years, and the last EMSA inspection definitely showed that there will be a need for an institution like ours probably for another 20 years. My job in the future is to keep NTC-M  ahead in innovation and at the same time sincere to its mission of training and honing the world-class seafarers. Together with my colleagues who have been serving NTC-M for the longest time, we will be true to our commitment to continue to educate and develop present and future  seafarers. However to do so, we will need the support of you, our clients, to stand by us, even when times are tough.

 

              Today, I am pleased to introduce NTC-M 360° - The Official News Magazine of the Norwegian Training Center- Manila.  There will be a bi-monthly release and shall be made available in digital version to keep our principals, partners, affiliates and scholars in the loop of our journey as we embrace bigger challenges and go beyond exceptional milestones.

 

               NTC-M 360° is part of the foundation's  proactive services  and will serve as our communication tool with relevant content  to keep you updated of our small and big steps towards our goals.

 

               I sincerely hope you will like our newsletter and welcome any comments  or suggestions to make it even better.

 

Best regards!

 

Capt. Erik Freberg Blom