Jonboy,
One of the key purposes of the Association is to ensure that the types, standards and specific courses/qualifications that are available in the industry can be assessed, reviewed and recommendations from the Association can be made, or ideally, the Association would collate a structure of definitive qualifications that would be recognised and would avoid all the tit for tat "Ours is better than yours" training competition that currently exists.
Thoughts?
Aye,
CorsairHunter.
I agree the Maritime element of the Security Industry has become a training industry as is/was the SIA CP element. However as with all courses they only really survive IF there is emloyment after it.
The majority of STCW-95 and ENG 1 certificates are already in place and are industry standard, it would be interesting to know how many MARSEC guys have these?
SSO, STO, PFSO, CSO courses is a subject we could discuss till the cow's come home.
I know of guys who have SSO, CSO & PFSO and haven't done a day in a port let alone a day at sea - companies selling extra day for your CSO and an extra morning for your PFSO are exactly the types of company that should be investigated.
How on earth are you going to get a position as a PFSO without having worked your way up through the management structure of a port, beggars belief.
CSO's are generally 50 - 60 year old captains who have had enough of going to sea and now work a desk job in the shipping companys HQ - How many companies are going to give a CSO job to an X Mil guy with Maritime Security experience? Not many!
However people still take guys hard earned cash for qualifications they will never use.
I am reserved against ASSOCIATIONS as we already have some in our industry, which are registered companies and are an association by name only. I was always lead to believe Associations should have a committee, hold an AGM, with all financial dealings being published annually and voted on....... However that is another story!
Just food for thought.......