The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency made available guidance, providing updated information regarding training for seafarer careers.
Foundation degrees
Deck and engineer officers can study in areas of marine operation and marine engineering. Study programmes include studying for the officer of the watch (OOW) seafarer qualification. Courses cover management competencies as well as technical content. Foundation degrees are not available in Scotland but you can study equivalent programmes for merchant navy qualifications. These cover the same content as the foundation degree.
Higher National Diploma (HND) or Higher National Certificate (HNC) certificates
HND and HNC qualifications lead to a UK Certificate of Competency (CoC). Those issued by Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) and Edexel must be completed in an MCA approved training centre if they are being used towards gaining a CoC. In some cases there are collaborative schemes with overseas colleges where the qualifications are gained through an approved UK training centre – these are known as 1+1 schemes.
Find more information about entry routes and training below.
Careers at Sea leaflet Visit the Careers at sea website.
Nautical colleges and training providers
Find contact details for running courses leading to a UK Certificate of Competency (CoC).
Training centres
MCA-approved training centres deliver STCW short/ancillary training courses such as:
- advanced fire fighting
- ship security officer training
- specialised tanker training
Find contact details for MCA approved training providers (ATP) running specific courses.
UK marine offices
Telephone and fax numbers for all UK Marine Offices and locations on a map. Opening hours are listed where available. Oral Exams can be taken at Aberdeen, Belfast, Cardiff, Falmouth, Glasgow, Hull (Beverley), Liverpool, Newcastle (Tyne), Norwich, Plymouth and Southampton.
Oral exam syllabuses
Deck and engineer officers sit oral exams to gain their certificates of competency. Find the syllabuses in the marine guidance note below.
DOWNLOAD
- MGN 69 (M) Training and certification guidance – Part 11 – Conduct of MCA Oral examinations
- MCA Oral Examination Syllabus
- for Chief Mate unlimited tonnage near coastal Reg II/2
- for Master less than 3,000 GT, specified area, Reg II/3
Written examination syllabuses
Deck officers written examination syllabus:
Engineer officers written examination syllabus:
Deck yacht officers written examination syllabus:
Engineer yacht and small vessel written examination/course syllabus:
Workboat less than 500 GT syllabus:
External maritime organisations
Find links below to various organisations that can provide further information on nautical training, for example:
- Association of Marine Electronics and Radio Colleges(AMERC) - a network of colleges, universities and private organisations providing courses and consultancies in marine radio and electronics
- International Association of Marine Institutions (IAMI) - providing education and training for personnel in the merchant navy, towing and fishing industries
- International Yacht Training Worldwide -international body for boating, including yachts, power vessels, dinghies etc.
- Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) - leading international membership body and learned society for marine professionals.
- Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) - the shipping industry’s central body for promoting and developing seafarer education, training and skills
- UK NARIC - national agency providing information and advice about vocational, academic and professional skills and qualifications
- Royal Institute of Naval Architecture (RINA) - internationally renowned professional institution involved in design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures
- Royal Yachting Association (RYA) - national body for boating, including dinghy and yacht racing, powerboat racing and windsurfing
- Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) - national accreditation and awarding body in Scotland
- Seafish - the UK’s only cross-industry seafood body working with fishers, processors, wholesalers, seafood farmers, fish friers, caterers, retailers and the import/export trade
- The Nautical Institute – a leading international representative body for maritime professionals involved in the control of sea-going ships.
Source: UK MCA
Note all that the syllabus for OOW and MASTER YACHT written exams is out of date. A new syllabus was put in place in June 2016
Good day,
I would like to request your permission to send a link to your site for this information or if you wish to send info we can upload and clearly mark as your property and that it has been provided by you to our site.
We have a careers information section because we know how confusing the maritime industry can be to a new entrant, and we always try to give out handy links and information to assist candidates in researching the sector that will best suit them and also how to go about gaining the necessary skills and experience to do so.
Your article is very informative and I would love to use this with your permission.
We mainly focus on merchant shipping, but we have been adding info on other sectors as well as we often get people asking about it.
Look forward to hearing from you!
Kind Regards,
Christelle Benson
Dear Ms Benson,
Thank you for your below email.
Permission granted to use our article, with mentioning the source.
Brgds,
Maritime Cyprus editorial team
----------------------
Good day,
I would like to request your permission to send a link to your site for this information or if you wish to send info we can upload and clearly mark as your property and that it has been provided by you to our site.
We have a careers information section because we know how confusing the maritime industry can be to a new entrant, and we always try to give out handy links and information to assist candidates in researching the sector that will best suit them and also how to go about gaining the necessary skills and experience to do so.
Your article is very informative and I would love to use this with your permission.
We mainly focus on merchant shipping, but we have been adding info on other sectors as well as we often get people asking about it.
Look forward to hearing from you!
Kind Regards,
Christelle Benson
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Training guidance for seafarer careers from UK MCA