Hey guys, I was wondering what STCW courses other than BST, could one take without any experience. I only have an OS rating and twic card. I’d like to improve my chances of getting hired as much as possible. I’m planning on taking a trip down to the oil patch after I get my STCW stuff squared away. I don’t have a whole lot of money to spend, so what are the typical courses an employer looks for? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
I just recieved this e-mail from the USCG support:
"Mr. G$%^&*,
In order to qualify for an STCW endorsement, you will need to complete U.S. Coast
Guard Approved Basic Safety Training (BST) course(s). The BST has four elements:
- Personal survival techniques
- Fire prevention and fire-fighting
- Elementary first-aid
- Personal safety and social responsibilities.
US Coast Guard approved course listings may be found on our website at
www.uscg.mil/nmc. Once there, select Approved Courses from the Training and
Assessment link. An applicant may then select all approved courses or may select
according to specific course types.
You will need to submit an application, copy of the BST certificate(s), and a copy of your
Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC), if applicable, to your nearest
Regional Exam Center (REC). There is no fee for an STCW endorsement."
So they’re saying that the only course I need for STCW 95 is BST? What about rigging,vpdsd,HUET and Safe Gulf? Or do the aforementioned classes only apply to people with experience or sea-time. I think I’m missing something here, could someone please clarify? Thank you, Mike
Basic Safety Training is 1 week course usually in the neighborhood of $600-$800. Vessel Security is a 1 day course around $200. Basic and advanced Firefighting can usually be taken together about 2 weeks $900 and up. PSC life boatman is a 1 week course usually $600-$800. Medical Care Provider is a 1 week usually $800-$1000. If you go to the NMC website for all licenses and ratings they will have a requirements page listing seatime exams etc, on the bottom they will also list the requirements for a STCW endorsement for that individual position, they are all different. The web site can be a little irritating to navigate but all the info is there.
HUET, Safe Gulf and rigging are not STCW courses, but are required by specific employers IE anything with oil on the first two. Do a search of the forum, there is lots of info already discussing it.
Thanks, I understand the website is a little difficult to navigate, that’s why I posted here. I’ve read that HUET, Safe Gulf and rigger were STCW courses, that’s why I posted, to get a specific answer. I’ve searched on the forum already, that’s why I asked.
BST is the only STCW course you need as an OS. However, you will greatly increase your prospects job hunting if you also have Safe Gulf, rigging and HUET. I would look at them in that order. Most companies will put you through these at their expense, but might be inclined to hire an OS that already has Safe Gulf over one that doesn’t. To my knowledge Safe Gulf is the [B]only[/B] non-STCW cert that is required by even the smallest Mom and Pop companies, so if you decide to add extra creds to bolster your resume I would start there. Rigging and HUET vary so much from one company to another that the class you paid for might not be the one they want you to have. I wouldn’t pay for those classes until I pounded the pavement and got some feedback from recruiters and HR managers.