I regularly sail foreign flag and therefore none of my crew are or would ever care to be USCG Qualified Assesors but I was wondering what it is like in the rest of the fleet. I became an assessor awhile ago because I felt it was a good idea for the future but how many people out there are getting theres? Are most people going to have to start relying on only the school’s to provide sign offs through extra classes?
Sidenote: What happened to the online NVIC database? Its been out for a while.
Nothing to the process I’ve had mine for over a year. I can sign off everything but steam and gas turbine stuff. I’m waiting for the rockstar qmed who’s good with batteries so I can sign him off to be an ETO.
With the exception of very few things such as for your CM assessments at the end of the packet which states being on a vessel of over 10,000 tons or a simulator, I dont think we will ever need to rely on just the schools. There are plenty of assessors and large OSV assessors out there. In fact several years ago when I saw our companies QA list it had about 100 names on it. And even though times are slow at the moment, I still get the occasional AB, Mate or Captain coming here wanting to upgrade in some way.
“Page cannot be found
Sorry, the page you are looking for cannot be found and might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. It is recommended that you start again from the homepage. Feel free to contact us if the problem persists or if you definitely cannot find what you’re looking for.”
404 Error on that page… that’s why I withdrew my post too.
Apparently its broken from the outside world. If anyone needs a specific NVIC, message me and I will try to send it to you. There will be a delay next week since I will be out of the office on vessel inspections.
You’re right. The assessors for the various large OSV programs are only QAs acting in the approved program. They are not automatically QAs when they sign for anyone not in the approved program. However, persons not approved as QAs can sign assessments until January 1, 2018. After that they would need to be QAs to sign an assessment outside of the program.
I cannot verify for the other individuals on the list but as for myself, I was on an approved letter from USCG before my name was added on to the list. However, I am Master on an “training boat” where many of the others were not so I honestly cannot say.
That’s how it was done. The specific persons allowed to conduct the assessments in the program were listed in the letter that approved the program, or a letter approving additional, new assessors for the program,. That approval as an assessor was limited to the program.
On the second page of your approval letter it states which endorsements you can sign off. I had to look up all the stuff in the right hand column which I found was the gas turbine and steam competencies. This means I can only sign off items for a motor endorsement. You’ll also be listed in the uscg website on the QA list unless you check the box instructing you’d like to opt out.
Even after this link is fixed, there needs to be a link placed on the NMC web site that takes people there. With direct links to the Assessment NVIC’s from the Training and Assessments page. After all that’s where we’re supposed to be able to find answers to all our questions.
I’m glad to hear some companies have plenty of QA’s. Where I work, hardly any Ch. Mates/Masters are signing up. Some 2nd’s are, but not many. The excuse I get most often is “I don’t want to be held liable if you screw up 5-10 years from now.” That’s just a total cop out. Just say you don’t want to be bothered. The office needs to make it a requirement of the job.
If you click on the tab that says NVIC’s on this page on the NMC website, you’ll find the links that were posted (even though they don’t work yet).
Yeah, that’s when I’d decide to find a different office to work for. There are a couple problems with that idea. First, too many times it becomes a case of offices pressuring people to sign off people that are unqualified. (Look at the DPO explosion in numbers for a good example of that.) Second, is that a lot of people just expect a QA to either just sign them off, or hold their hand and show them how to do everything. It’s an assessment, not a training. Training is what you get in class.
That’s why I have been on the fence for getting my QA. If you can’t show me you know the assessment, you aren’t ready to be signed off. I don’t need any calls to the office because “I was mean to someone and wouldn’t give them a participation trophy.”
