The centre is located in the burgeoning Aseana City district, set to become the next business capital of the Philippines. Occupying 6,700 square metres over five floors of the new Aseana II building, the facility is the single biggest investment by V.Group in its history and is intended to become a centre of excellence.
Accommodating a growing workforce of 2,700 full-time management and administration employees, the site includes a crew manning suite where 1,000 seafarers arrived on opening day to register.
Training facilities include a full mission bridge and engine room simulator, a culinary and hospitality instruction centre that can cater for almost 400 people per day, two housekeeping areas that replicate cruise ship accommodations, an officers’ mess and a full suite of classrooms and auditoriums.
The strategic new opening is testament to the importance of the Philippines as the principal recruitment ground for professional crew in the world.
'These new offices will increase our capacity to manage and train seafarers with a wide range of skills to the highest international standards,' said Jaime Stewart, V.Group/V.Ships representative in the Philippines. 'We are now able to offer a service facility which is second to none and includes recruitment, technical training, culinary training, operations, commercial, purchasing, technical support and IT, which positions the Group at the heart of not only Asia, but the global shipping community.'
Included in the new office complex are V.Group’s long-standing local partners, Pacific Ocean Manning, North Sea Marine, V.Manpower and Kestral Shipping, which continue to support the company’s regional growth.
'We achieve this success because of our greatest asset, our people,' said Elmer Pulumbarit, gm, Pacific Ocean Manning. 'Our combined teams are committed to sourcing, recruiting and developing talent which ensure that our company, our clients and the industry continue to benefit from the best pool of professionally qualified individuals available.'
V.Group identified a key corporate value as a commitment to fairness and equal opportunity. While focusing on providing service excellence to its customers, V.Group said every seafarer is afforded the conditions to help them improve and better their lives and those of their families.
