I’m scheduled to take the navigation skills assessment program at Mitags in Baltimore later this month. Has anyone else taken this assessment? I’m trying to find out what to expect.
You will be expected to sign a non-disclosure form preventing you from talking about the experience with others. And that’s about all I can say
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But, why would that be a requirement?
On a scale of 1-5 with one being easiest and five the hardest, how would you rate the challenge of the assessment?
If i had to guess. To keep the integrity of the assessment intact. This is supposed to be a test of real skills that you have or don’t have. If you go into it knowing what to expect well…its not a real test of skills.
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always assume the hardest
Don’t know for a fact but I’d guess it’s along the same lines as this’
I believe that this is a program offered to companies to evaluate the skills of their employees. I do not think it is available to individual mariners. So there may be privacy and other issues related to the program.
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Thanks! That makes a lot more sense to me.
The Navigation Skills Assessment Program (NSAP)® is a risk-based measurement tool to assess a mariner’s performance in the simulator, focused specifically on the core skills required of licensed deck officers as defined by international standards and industry best practices. Each NSAP® session uses realistic scenario-based exercises geared toward each company’s operation and is assessed by trained and qualified subject matter experts
Presumably this is the same program.
I don’t think the Navy needs to be dissing merchants. They have had more than a few serious failings including but not limited to CO’s who thought they were Gods and JO’s who thought they knew it all and could handle it all while ignoring standing orders and common sense. Let us not forget that on a Navy Bridge you might have more people with tasks than are on an entire merchant ship.
I do agree though that there probably is an over-reliance on the video game aspect of bridge equipment and a whole lot less reliance on just looking out the window or using a plain unadorned radar display to figure it out your self.
It’s one sentence in a 177 page report.
In context the Navy is evaluating the NSAP program and they note that about 30% of merchant mariners fail.
I believe that passing this is now a requirement for membership in the Masters Mates and Pilots but plenty of companies are operating similar programs on their own and are even starting to push it to the engine room as well.
It can be shocking what some of the new grads coming out of the academies are capable of. It can be almost more shocking what some mates who have been in the industry for a decent bit of time are capable of too.
Navigational Assessments for assessment of ship handling, towing and other evolutions have been present within at least one US Flag company for about 10 years. I have sailed with a few Masters and Mates (on Deep Sea vessels) who had to take these mandatory assessments and their reviews were mixed. Some wanted no part of the process; either because of their “vacation disturbance” or just flat out were offended. Some questioned the sea-going experience of some of the assessors.
Personally, I know of at least one former employee who had “migrated” to a company which had these assessments- and the individual was immediately sent for remedial training. No wonder- the nickname he had previously was “Capt. Crunch”… Now as a Marine Engineer- I won’t venture int the realm of my Deck Officer Brothers and Sisters- but I will say; as a Marine Manager it was clearly necessary with respect to certain individuals- luckily I have seen very few.
These same simulator based assessments were drafted over to the Engineering side also- I had serious reservations regarding this- to operate an engine room being fully dependent on computerized automation is one thing- getting on the deck plate level and swinging valves or operating a main engine from the local control stand is another… Again, the Marine Engineer who was supposed to do these assessments for Motor Vessels (the sim was based on a B&W MCC type engine with Kongsberg automation) had little or no time as Chief Engineer Motor…
You want to undertake a realistic real time approach to assessing these skills? Then do it underway under actual conditions- much like airplane pilots and check rides…
I love NSAP’s. Separates the talkers from the doers.