Carnival Cruise Line (Carnival) and its local crewing partner United Philippine Lines (UPL) inaugurate the UPL-Carnival Team Member Center, a two-level state-of-the-art hub in response to the growing global demand for seafarers as the global cruise industry recovers from the pandemic.
Prominent government officials who attended the inauguration ceremony included Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Commission on Higher Education Secretary Prospero de Vera III, and Pasay Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano. The Philippines' First Lady, Louise Araneta-Marcos, presided over the Anchored: From the Philippines to the World inaugural ceremony.
UPL-Carnival TM Center is equipped with top-of-the-line equipment and well-trained staff, Filipinos looking to explore the world as shipboard talents can expect an easy and efficient application and training process. We guarantee smooth sailing from the get-go, according to Carnival Cruise Line Crew and Travel Operations Vice President Richard Brearley.
Carnival was named Best Ship App by Porthole Cruise Readers' Choice Awards (2019 & 2020) for its Carnival Hub app, which operates in Airplane Mode and eliminates roaming fees. The app connects to the ship's Wi-Fi.
Guests can use the Carnival Hub app to interact, browse events onboard and the ship's map, plan reservations, and complete online check-in.
For UPL-Carnival Team Center, they have the Team Member Hub (TMHub) app, which allows members onboard to communicate with Live Agents and people offshore. The developer says that this app does not share user data with other corporations or organizations for security reasons.
The TMHub app also provides members with Assignment Information, Required Documents, Enhanced Flights, Hotel, and Meet & Greet Information, Notifications & Alerts for anticipated travel delays & other travel related information, and much more.
Carnival chose to locate the training hub inside the campus of STI Pasay-EDSA to have access to STI students taking hospitality, tourism, and culinary programs, as well as marine transportation and marine engineering.
"Our partnership with Carnival is an investment for our country’s future. It gives our students more options for a challenging and incredibly rewarding job that allows them to see the world and meet people from a variety of backgrounds. The cruise industry is continuously growing, which means the number of opportunities for those who’d like to work at sea will also continue to increase. STI will strive to offer these opportunities to Filipinos,” STI ESG Vice Chairman Nick Jacob said.
The Philippines has always been one of Carnival’s key suppliers of shipboard talent. The firm presently employs roughly 50,000 people and is trying to expand this number for its more than 90 vessels, which serve tens of thousands of passengers globally each year.
UPL, in partnership with Carnival, has been helping Carnival meet its enormous manpower requirement by creating a system that's designed to help potential Filipino seafarers across the country have a seamless employment journey – from the time they graduate from maritime school until they step onboard a Carnival cruise ship.
Brearley said Carnival expects that global demand for Filipino seafarers will continue to grow. United Philippine Lines Executive Director and COO Leo Oscar B. Tanseco noted Filipinos have long been known worldwide for being “friendly, hard-working, and highly adaptable.”
United Philippine Lines President Denny Escobar added, "Together with Carnival, we aim to represent Filipinos across all functions. With the expertise, knowledge, and infectious personality of Filipinos, we're certain this will soon happen.”
To know more about these roles or to check Carnival's full job listing, please visit https://shipjobs.carnival.com/.