Hello,
I have a question maybe someone can answer. Why do some certs expire after one year and others never expire? For example if you take flashing or lifeboatman you must submitt it within a year (as part of an upgrade) or retake it. Stability and other course certs do not have the 1yr limit. I know the schools love the policy, just wondering if there is a practical reason (Other than generating money to feed the machine). Maybe Mr. Cavo could weigh in?
[QUOTE=ARIES 1;118319]Hello,
I have a question maybe someone can answer. Why do some certs expire after one year and others never expire? For example if you take flashing or lifeboatman you must submitt it within a year (as part of an upgrade) or retake it. Stability and other course certs do not have the 1yr limit. I know the schools love the policy, just wondering if there is a practical reason (Other than generating money to feed the machine). Maybe Mr. Cavo could weigh in?[/QUOTE]
Not everything is driven by $$$ and schools. What the schools like has nothing to do with it.
Courses that substitute for a Coast Guard exam are good for one year. This is an extension of the regulation that an “approved” application is good for one year, approved meaning you are approved to test. So you have one year to pass the test if you are testing at an REC. So the same time limit applies to the exam course. In reality, you are actually getting more time on the course than the exam at an REC as you don’t have to have al;l your sea time when you take the course, but you do in order to be approved to test at an REC. A few others are limited to a year by regulation, e.g. the first aid and CPR requirements for an original license (not for STCW BST)
Most courses that are valid for five years are because there is a regulation that says that’s how long they are good for - e.g. radar observer and tankerman.