STI acquires maritime school Namei

STI Education Systems Holdings Inc. has acquired Namei Polytechnic Institute as part of its efforts to diversify portfolio.

In a statement on Tuesday, STI said that the acquisition is a strategic move to boost the institution’s sought- after courses.

Namei is an education services firm that offers courses in maritime transportation, maritime engineering and naval architecture. Its brand is set to tranform into STI Namei.

STI said that it would spend P727 million for the construction of a 10- story building on a 3,691- square meter ( sqm) property in Sta. Mesa, Manila which will incorporate STI Namei. The new building will be able to accommodate up to 9,000 senior high school and college students.

The new campus is targeted to be fully operational by school year 2019-2020.

“We are very happy with the addition of Namei to STI ESG’s institutional roster,” STI President and Chief Operating Officer Peter Fernandez said.

“It is an opportunity for us to introduce exciting changes and transform Namei into an educational powerhouse whose students will bring pride not only to their alma mater but also to the country,” he added.

STI said that it would establish information technology programs for maritime such as networking and communications, cybersecurity, and IT maintenance and services to keep up with the growing demand in the seafaring industry.

“A good number of Philippine maritime education and training institutes continue to hone the skills development of our seafarers. It is high time we complemented this with high quality education to prepare a new generation of seafarers who are ready to join global cruise companies,” Fernandez said.