FOCUS Maritime Training Center which is part of a global Maritime Education and Training Consortium under the name of GUPITA-FOCUS Maritime Excellence, shortened as GF-MAREX, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with IMO Consultants, namely : Prof. Dr. Malek Pourzanjani and Dr. M.A. Aziz on May 11, 2001, to assist the Consortium in the marketing and promotions of the GF-MAREX's International Maritime Education & Training Programmes.

The Maritime Education and Training offered at FOCUS Maritime Training Center, as part of the GF-MAREX Consortium, will be taught by qualified and experienced lecturers who are certified by IMO and have passed the TOT Program IMO Model Course 6.09, in addition to the few other lecturers who have also been trained through the IMO Model Course 3.12. Hence, all of the Training Curricula offered at FOCUS Maritime Training Center are in line with the STCW'95 standard.

To comply with the national and international conventions on the running of Maritime Education and Training Institutions, FOCUS Management System has also passed the rigid accreditation process and testing for Quality Standard System which is now approved by the Administration - the Directorate General of Sea Communication of Indonesia.

In terms of training facilities, all training rooms at FOCUS Maritime Training Center are fully air-conditioned and equipped with the latest IT-based technology, such as, the video and audio equipment.

FOCUS Maritime Training Center owns Outdoor Maritime Training Facilities for use during Maritime Practical Training as a complement to the theoretical training done in classrooms.

FOCUS Maritime Training Center also runs the Maritime English Training Programme which has been adapted from the internationally standardized Maritime English Curriculum presented in an interactive mode of learning with the use of the latest IT-based technology, such as the CD ROM's.

Last but not least, by taking your Maritime Education and Training Programmes at FOCUS Maritime Training Center, participants will no doubt be able to have substantial savings on the tuition fees as the cost of each programme, when calculated, is only a fraction of the cost of enrolling in similar programmes anywhere else in the world, without foregoing the quality of teaching and training in line with the IMO's training requirements for Maritime Education and Training Institutions worldwide.

Mid-Term Development

FOCUS's mid-term development will be concentrated primarily on the area of Education whereby FOCUS has just secured a 30,000 m2 (3 HA) piece of land located Lakefront and right next to a Housing Development Esate of Gading Serpong, Tangerang, Wesern Java, Indonesia.

What FOCUS Maritime Training Center intends to do at Gading Serpong is build an Indonesian Maritime School offering a 4-year program (3 years at School and 1 year at Sea) and Maritime Academy offering a 3-year program (2 years at School and 1 year at Sea) to produce Jr. Officers Level III & Level IV and Cruiseship School offering 1 year program (6 months at School and 6 montrhs at hotel / cruiseline) who will be ready to sail the world upon graduation.

The programs are competency-based, using curricula recommended by IMO and STCW'95 Convention Requirements. The Indonesian Maritime School & Academy will also run other Workshops based on ILO (Engine, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering), STCW-F (Fishing) and STCW'95 (Proficiency-based Training Program and Specialized Training in Floating Hotel Operations).

The Indonesian Maritime School & Academy's facilities will have included, upon completion, Multimedia Classrooms and Maritime Workshop & Laboratory Facilities in the shape of an Anchored Ship to further familiarize cadets and other trainees as early as possible on the actual working environment aboard ship.