Friday, January 12, 2007 Shipping firm eyes Filipino cooks
APART from being known for producing highly qualified medical staff, the Philippines is also famous for world-class cooks, a foreign master mariner said.
“Filipino chefs are able to easily adopt to different Western dishes compared to other nationalities, which is why, in the long run, the demand for local chefs especially in shipping vessels will increase,” said Captain H.G. Willemsen, Spliethoff master mariner.
Spliethoff, an Amsterdam-based shipping company, employs about 700 seafarers for its multipurpose cargo vessels. Of the 700, 85 percent are Filipinos, Willemsen said in an interview last Tuesday.
According to Willemsen, Filipino cooks also act as dishwashers during their spare time on board to earn additional income.
Hiring
Spliethoff plans to hire 250 more Filipino seafarers in the next four years for its new vessels. The shipping firm has tapped the placement agency, Manpower Resources of Asia Inc. (MRA) Cebu, to recruit more seafarers.
MRA said it is implementing a training program to enable qualified chefs to find jobs in different shipping companies.
MRA Cebu branch manager Edwin Salazar said the placement agency aims to recruit about 500 chefs in the next two years.
He said about 30 chefs from the Visayas will be deployed to various clients in the next six months.
“Their expertise will be likened to those working in five-star hotels,” he said.
To further develop the culinary skills of its recruits, MRA partnered with Salazar Institute of Technology (SIT), an educational institution, to provide qualified human resource.
“The school is ready to invest on new technologies and knowledge to increase the level of professionalism among our students to make them ready for work abroad,” said Salazar, who is also president of SIT.
He said the school plans to tap shipping companies to open a training school where they can extend their expertise to local seafarers.
Training
Willemsen said a training facility will further increase the chances of Filipinos to obtain high paying and professional employment.
“Filipinos are always welcomed in international companies especially in shipping vessels. Our Filipino crew members have been with us for 10 years and more,” he said.
MRA has been providing professional and technical personnel and craftsmen for land-based construction projects; on-shore and off-shore pipe laying and related facilities; dredging and reclamation; healthcare organizations; and information technology firms.
Salazar also said MRA will recruit about 1,000 qualified seafarers to fill up various jobs in 150 vessels from different shipping companies in the next two years. (MMM)
