M AR I TI M E TR AIN IN G
ERRANT POINTS AND APPLICATION FEES...
BY LOUISE DEEHAN-OWEN, SENIOR LECTURER, NZ MARITIME SCHOOL
M
any who read the last column may have been alarmed
by the errant decimal point that made its way into my
article. I hope it motivated you to look further at the
impact of the Maritime New Zealand proposed pricing structure
on your business. With the deadline for comments to be made
on the draft rules well past, I hope you all can rest assured that
your voices have contributed to the development of a sound set
of rules.
We eagerly await the outcomes of the rules and until this
happens we sit in a semi "licensing limbo," still able to utilise
and obtain licences under the current system but trying to
predict where we will end up in the future. For businesses
attempting to plan ahead for manning and staff progression it is
definitely a trying time. For those wanting to enter the industry
or progress individually it is also confusing and for those of us
assisting with advice we have to be particularly careful not to
second guess outcomes.
After attending the recent Marine Transport Association
forum I found that there was a concern that it appears that the
cost of licence applications will far exceed the training costs
involved for QDC and SRL. At present this alarms us, as the
industry has been struggling with the economic down turn,
and the lack of discretionary spending has limited income in
many of the sectors that cater for recreational activities. If the
>
level of fees proposed remains unchanged I feel it will have
an extremely negative impact on training, progression and
recruiting within this sector. Is this the way the industry really
wanted to head?
In a parallel pathway the Industry Training Organisation
"Competenz" is working hard with industry, NZQA, MNZ
and providers to prepare learning pathways to allow funding
for training and delivery under the new licensing system. The
over-arching brief is to ensure that mariners have access to
robust, flexible and streamlined qualifications that are relevant
and based in current best practice. A world wide move in all
practical trades is to be able to demonstrate competence in
tasks. This is being adopted by MNZ for all licence levels and
this will impact on the QDC and SRL in the future. As opposed
to just sea-service, a course and an oral exam, candidates will
have to prove their ability in a practical sense with task books
being the beginning of that step. This will signal a shift in
culture and place the focus back on the handing down of skills
traditionally done on vessels albeit within a prescriptive and
documented system.
Regardless of the changes we are facing we have the opportunity
to create a streamlined training path for persons entering and
progressing within the industry, if the application fees allow
us to get that far.
We provide maritime training in
the following areas:
- Maritime New Zealand Licences
Your first
choice in
maritime
training
- Marine Engineering
- STCW '95 Basic Training
- Mate and Master Yacht Licences.
Maritime training designed to
meet your company's needs:
- Customised training
- Experienced lecturers
- Flexible learning options including blended
delivery for 'Inshore Launchmaster' and
'New Zealand Offshore Watchkeeper'
Maritime New Zealand licences
New Zealand Maritime School, Level 3, 2 Commerce St, Auckland on phone:
0800 744 722 email: maritime@manukau.ac.nz or visit: www.nzmaritime.com
2200
For a list of our 2013 courses or
for more information, contact:
VIP.WB13
VIP.WB13
- Maritime consultancy.
May/June 2013 Professional Skipper 53
