Premium Crew: Training for Excellence

The ms Nieuw Jakarta school in Indonesia

ENB recently sat down with Lance Camarena, director of corporate training and development, to learn how Holland America Line gets new employees ready to hit the high seas and provide the HAL premium experience.

Holland America Line operates two service-staff training schools, one in Jakarta, Indonesia — where 60 percent of crew originate — and one in Manila, the Philippines, which accounts for 30 percent of crewmembers.

The school in Jakarta, known as ms Nieuw Jakarta, was started 26 years ago and has continued to expand over the years. In a year when a newbuild will be delivered, more than a thousand trainees pass through the school to meet the increased demand for crew.

When applying to the school, Camarena explained, new students are given an English test to assess their level of competence. If they pass the test and meet other recruiting requirements, such as having previous hotel experience, they are admitted to an intense program that lasts a minimum of eight weeks.

All newbies spend the first five weeks in English classes making sure they can communicate effectively with Holland America Line guests. Once that course is passed, students move on to train in a specific area, such as housekeeping or dining room wait staff.

Students mastering dining room wait staff skills attend classes in uniform to authenticate the experience

At the ms Nieuw Jakarta school, everything is set up to emulate the shipboard milieu so crew can become familiar with the smallest details. Mock cabins have HAL linens and layouts, and dining room tables are set with HAL china, crystal and flatware, according to Camarena.

During a class, students are exposed to actual HAL food and beverage accessories

Once the crew have mastered their new skills and passed a final English exam, they are distributed among Holland America Line’s 13 ships. The class’ top performers earn the distinction of crewing on the newbuild.

The training doesn’t stop once they leave school, though. Employees are required to return to school in order to move up the promotion ladder, for refresher courses and to polish their skills. They also serve as mentors to new students.

The school in Manila opened its doors in February 2007. Currently offering dining room and front office training for new hires and refresher courses for repeaters, the school plans to offer a galley program by the end of the year. English courses aren’t offered in Manila, as English is widely spoken and the Filipinos’ language skills usually meet or exceed HAL’s requirements.

Next we’ll tell you what Camarena will do on board Eurodam to get the crew passenger-ready in time for the ship to welcome its first guest.