I am on an all out Job Hunt in the Gulf Area, Driving around everywhere, and WILL NOT STOP until I’m Employed!..or completely broke…
As an OS I have my STCW- Basic Safety training, CPR, and First Aid certificates.
Tomorrow I am signed up for my SAFEGULF certificate, and the following day Riggers safety training.
With some down time while looking for jobs in the area i was wondering if there are any other Safety classes or Certificates that companies like to see, or that I should take, looking into the future?
I think you are on the right track. SafeGulf, Rigging, and HUET are required by most employers. However some employers require that you take THEIR classes.
Instead of taking a lot of piecemeal classes here and there, you might want to consider taking the 3 day PEC Core course. The PEC Core course includes Rigpass , SafeGulf and SafeLand, OSHA, H2S, and a lot of other things. I’m not sure if it includes Rigging. Young Memorial Community College is a good place to take PEC Core.
In general, FALCK is the best place to take safety courses. They are the biggest, well respected, used by many employers, and offer a full menu of frequently scheduled classes.
Ask potential employers and the schools what classes they recommend.
[QUOTE=Sirina21;126082]Honestly don’t waste your money. Most companies have no problem sending you for the class. Even if you have it they may send you anyways to “renew”[/QUOTE]
I disagree.
There are smaller companies that would rather hire an OS without having to pay for these classes. Sometimes a company suddenly needs an OS that they can send to the boat in 15 minutes.
Taking some classes on your own dime shows that you are a cut above the typical penniless loser that is looking for his first OS job.
You might want to seek a starting job as a rigger at one of the companies that provides third party riggers to the boat companies. Longnecker Rigging comes to mind. B.J. Martin comes to mind as another place that might be easier for a green OS to get hired.
You might think about the Sparrow two day rigging course. More and more majors are requiring this. Don’t know how much it is or who offers it. I know my company was sending some hands to Lafayette for this one. Might make the difference.
I remember Candy Fleet telling me I needed rigging prior to employment and Freedom Marine telling me I needed Safegulf prior to employment. I would say, although it’s not popular, there are some companies out there that require those two before giving someone a chance. Besides that, I have no reccomendations except for the whole maritime awareness thing if you end up being there into January.
Check into Southern Crane and Hydraulics rigging course, the price is very sensible and you’ll come out with the same rigging card (API 6th Ed) as the other places.
You can choose between SafeGulf and OMSA; they cover the same ground. I had OMSA for the longest time and all the SafeGulf scanners accepted my OMSA card.
Having your five day STCW is great, hold on to those original certificates, you’ll need them with you submit for AB/RFPNW. You need to bring your copy of your RFPNW assessments to whatever vessel you go on, get those things signed so you can get your AB and look even more attractive the next round of job hunting.