The Philippines has benefited from two capacity-building workshops on IMO's key convention on seafarer training, certification and watchkeeping (the STCW Convention*). The pilot scheme activities on 'Assessment and Examination of Seafarers' (September to October 2021) and the 'Principles of Curriculum Development' (December 2021 to January 2022) focused on effective implementation. As one of the biggest suppliers of seafarers to the world's merchant fleet, these activities were an important part of IMO's ongoing work to support seafarers, under the World Maritime Day Theme for 2021 – 'Seafarers: At the core of shipping's future'.
The workshops, which were arranged following a needs assessment and scoping exercise in April 2021, are an example of IMO's continued technical cooperation work during the pandemic – using virtual platforms to assist its Member States. The pilot scheme has helped IMO assess the challenges related to virtual activities, including the need to build up the pool of regional experts who can act as consultants for future capacity building work.
Following this successful set of pilot activities, it is anticipated that IMO will increase use of the virtual learning platforms in its capacity building work.
* International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended