• Press Release

NYK Conducts Short-term Maritime Exchange Program for Students in Japan and the Philippines

Restarting Exchange after Five-Year COVID Pause, First Participation by Female Students from Japan

NYK successfully conducted an international short-term student-exchange program from August 19 to September 2 between students from national maritime schools in Japan and those from the NYK-TDG Maritime Academy (NTMA), which NYK operates in the Philippines. A total of 31 students from Kobe University, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Nagasaki University, and the Toyama, Hiroshima, and Yuge colleges of the National Institute of Technology participated from Japan and interacted with their peers from NTMA.

NTMA students with their peers from Kobe University, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, and Nagasaki University

NTMA students with their peers from the Toyama, Hiroshima, and Yuge colleges of the National Institute of Technology

The purpose of this program is to develop an international mindset and to build a network that transcends nationalities by having students who aspire to become seafarers in Japan and the Philippines stay in each other's countries for approximately one week and experience differences in language and culture through classroom lectures, practical training, and sightseeing. This year's program, which resumed after a five-year pause, was conducted as follows.

・Students from Kobe University, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, and Nagasaki University studied at NTMA from August 19 to 26.
・Students from Toyama, Hiroshima, and Yuge colleges of the National Institute of Technology studied at NTMA from August 23 to September 2.
・NTMA students will visit the Hiroshima College of the National Institute of Technology, NYK, and NYK Group companies from October 20 to 26.

At NTMA, in addition to maritime English and Japanese language classes, the students participated in the disassembly of pumps and practical training using navigation instruments installed on board ships, as well as a tour of the adjacent NYK-Fil Maritime E-Training Inc. (NETI) training facility**, a student sports festival, and a sightseeing tour of Manila. With the completion of NTMA’s women's dormitory on July 1, Japanese female students (three) were able to participate in this program for the first time. In October, NTMA students will have a short-term study program at the Hiroshima College of the National Institute of Technology. They will also visit NYK's head office and group companies.

Ship-handling simulator training

Pump disassembly training

Class

Sports Festival

Sightseeing in Manila ①

Sightseeing in Manila ②

The Japanese students who participated in the program commented, "I have learned once again the importance of respecting others and always looking around me, not just at myself," and "I have come to love the active, energetic, and cheerful nature of Filipinos. The NTMA students commented, "It was a very meaningful time for us to exchange information about the maritime industry and our future careers," and "The time we spent together was a memory that will last a lifetime.

NTMA President Antonio Ramos Dael said, “This project is very meaningful to NTMA, and we are grateful for the ties and friendship with Japan that have been established through our longstanding exchange. We look forward to seeing the student participants from Japan and the Philippines play an active role in the future, not only in the shipping industry but also in their own communities as captains, chief engineers, managers, and executives."

NYK will continue to cooperate with educational and research institutions in Japan and abroad to contribute to the development of young people who will be the future of the maritime industry.

On March 10, 2023, the NYK Group released its medium-term management plan “Sail Green, Drive Transformations 2026 — A Passion for Planetary Wellbeing.” The NYK Group is promoting growth strategies with ESG at the core, based on the Group’s basic philosophy of “Bringing value to life” and a new corporate vision for 2030, which reads, “we go beyond the scope of a comprehensive global logistics enterprise to co-create value required for the future by advancing our core business and growing new ones.”

* Transnational Diversified Group (TDG)
A business group established by Chairman J. Roberto C. Delgado. Business activities include vessel agent services, seafarer manning, training, and cadet education, as well as other logistics businesses. TDG and NYK have maintained a cooperative relationship since the establishment of TDG.

** NYK-Fil Maritime E-Training, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of NYK-Fil Ship Management Inc. The company was founded in 2013 to train Filipino seafarers on NYK-operated vessels.

Related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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