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NCLH plans major new crew training center near Manila

Norwegian Cruise Line Center of Excellence
Norwegian Cruise Line Center of Excellence will have the capacity to train up to 8,000 shipboard team members a year
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings plans to build a 200,000-square-foot center near Manila for training shipboard team members. The Norwegian Cruise Line Center of Excellence will serve both new and existing crew and provide training for various service-related jobs.

NCLH said this will reduce on-board training time and help improve service levels.

Realistic work and living experiences

The facilities have been designed to provide trainees with realistic work and living experiences aboard a cruise ship, and include replicas of staterooms, a galley, a casino floor, a full service bar and a safety and security training areas.

Training for up to 8,000 crew a year

Planned for 2020 completion, the center will provide annual training for as many as 8,000 shipboard team members a year.

'As the company continues to grow and execute on our disciplined newbuild pipeline with 11 ships on order through 2027, the Center of Excellence will enable us to train and develop shipboard staff to meet the growing demand for top talent and to provide our guests with the high level of service and best-in-class vacation experience they have come to expect,' NCLH president and CEO Frank Del Rio said.

'With our global fleet of 26 ships [including Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises] carrying over 2.5 million guests a year, this new facility will give us the ability to fully immerse shipboard team members in their coursework and ensure we continue to provide exceptional vacation experiences for our guests,' he added.

7.2-acre parcel of land

The company has secured a 7.2-acre parcel of land near Manila, where it plans to develop the center. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2019 with the Center of Excellence expected to open its doors in late 2020.

NCLH currently sources approximately 65% of its shipboard talent from Southeast Asia and anticipates an even higher demand for personnel from the region in the coming years. The Philippines' central location and its high percentage of multilingual citizens are seen as making the country an ideal location for the company’s training and development facility.