Perhaps the biggest challenge facing many maritime education and
training institutions in the next few years is not so much whether they have a quality
standards system in place or if they have an approved radar and ARPA simulator for
training, but whether they have sufficient qualified and experienced staff to make the
necessary changes in order to give the Convention full and complete effect. It is very
difficult, for example, to review programs that are poorly or inadequately documented if
the experience in teaching and curriculum development and design is missing. Similarly, to
examine the standards of competency tables in Code A and develop clear skill and
competency objectives within existing programs, is not an easy task if a criterion based
training and assessment approach has not been in use before. For many institutions the
lack of well trained instructors and assessors is often compounded by unattractive terms
and conditions of employment. Even when well qualified and experienced staff are
recruited, they are often lost to industry just when they are starting to make an
important contribution to institutional standards.
If governments are really serious about meeting their new
responsibilities under the Convention, then a firm effort is needed on their part to see
that not only are changes necessary to structures, processes and programs, but that the
human resource is both trained and retained. The concern is not only about raising
standards but ensuring that they remain in place once the required plateau is reached or
surpassed. Human resource development must go hand in hand with implementation of this
major IMO initiative.
3. APPROVAL OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
A change of great importance is the requirement that mandatory
education and training is required for all master, officer and radio operator
certificates. Thus, those governments that currently allow direct entry to examinations
without completing an approved course of education or training ( quite common still), will
have to cease this practice after 1-2-2002, and they may only accept deck officers for
examination in this way if such candidates commenced approved seagoing service before 1st
August 1998.
