A VMA Legacy

The Visayan Maritime Academy was founded by former Ambassador Roberto S. Benedicto in 1974, the only school in the Visayas with its own shipping company and eventually became one of the top ten maritime schools in the country. Its program offering was limited to Associate in Nautical Science and Marine Engineering. The Academy temporarily ceased operations in 1985-86 and re-opened in 1987 under the management of Asian Mari-Tech Development Corporation (AMTDC).

 In June 1988, VMA was included in the TOP TEN SCHOOLS offering maritime education per results of survey conducted by  the Philippine Association of Maritime Institutions  (PAMI) in cooperation with the Department of Education,   Culture and Sports (DECS) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).

 In 1991, the school expanded its  program to include  training  in Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) at the practicum site in Barangay Pahanocoy and eventually earned a Certificate of  Merits issued by the DECS for School Year 1991-‘92  for having the “THE MOST IMPROVED SCHOOL FACILITIES.”

 The following year, the Maritime Training Council (MTC) issued a permit to operate the Visayan Maritime Academy Training Center (VMATC) which conducted training to VMA students as well as to students of other schools.

 In the same school year, VMA added to its course offerings, BASIC MERCHANT MARINE COURSE major in Stewardship and Culinary Arts, now reamed SEAFARERS’ CATERING & STEWARDSHIP COURSE, followed by Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant management and Bachelor of Science in Tourism.

 On February 08, 1994, VMA lease was extended to 20 years, however, conscious of the need for a more permanent base for its plan of modernization and upgrading and with the support for the manpower training needs of the family corporation, OROPHIL Shipping International, AMTDC purchased the school properties in May 1996.

            Since then, the Board of Trustees has endeavored to meet the IMO standards through the requirements imposed by the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) for the school and the Maritime Training Council (MTC) and the Maritime Industry Authority for the training center. Both institutions are ISO 9001:2000 certified by the Det Norske Veritas, recently by the American Bureau of Shipping.

In 2005, more non-maritime courses were offered, hence the need for a change of name of Visayan Maritime Academy to VMA Global College.

     Placement of graduates include:

·         Maritime Courses :  Shipping/Manning Agencies, both Overseas and  Domestic; 3 Shipyards in  
                                          Japan (for Welding)
·       HRM & Tourism     :   International Practicum in Singapore (6 mos.),  Summer Job and 
                                          Travel Program in the U.S.A.   (Dream Search International
·         Other Courses     :   Local and Orobless International Recruitment Agency Services, Inc.                 
                                          Scholarship Programs:  Sponsored by members of the Phil-Japan Manning 
                                          Consultative Council (PAMMAS, INTERMAP, FAME)

VISION

VMA Global College/ VMA Training Center sees itself as a leading center of excellence in Quality Education and Training, providing highly and skilled work force responsive to the needs and demands of the global market, where all stakeholders share the benefits of their endeavors.

MISSION

At the core of the College and Training Center's vision is CREDO stating that VMA and VMA-TC aim to develop:

C ompetent and well- trained professionals through
R elevant education and training in an
E nvironment of excellence and
D iscipline, realizing global career
O pportunities with a viable placement program.

ACTION

• Continuing Enhancement of Faculty/ Staff Competencies
• Development of programs for continuing accreditation to meet industrial trends and standards.
• Upgrading of instructions, instructional materials and assessment tools.
• Maintaining conducive learning environment
• Strengthening discipline in work