Chamber of Shipping: MNTB press notice: Industry consultation activity

Chamber of Shipping logo for press releases

Thursday, 02, Oct 2008 12:00

Shore-based activities in the management and operation of ships.

Your chance to contribute.

The Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) is involved in an exciting project to develop a suite of National Occupational Standards (NOS) for management level staff involved in shore based activities in the management and operation of ships. The work is being carried out in collaboration with the Maritime Skills Alliance and covers:

technical/ engineering/ marine superintendents and fleet operators

The NOS are important for a whole host of purposes. They will particularly provide a means to ensure shore-based staff can develop their skills, access progression opportunities (including for seafarers seeking to move ashore) and gain recognition for their expertise through relevant qualifications.

The project is overseen by a Steering Group made up of representatives from a range of ship owners and ship management companies and interests – including Northern Marine Management (which provides the Chairman), Bibby Maritime/Meridian Marine, BP Shipping, Caledonian MacBrayne, Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd, Graig Ship Management, Saga Shipping, Shell Ship Management, IMarEST, Nautilus UK, the Nautical Institute and Scottish Enterprise.

The draft NOS have been developed through industry input at several technical working group meetings, held in London and Glasgow. They cover the competencies required for the following areas of work:

· Employing and managing marine personnel for vessel activities

· Ensuring vessels are procured, maintained, supplied and equipped for service

· Establishing and administering systems to ensure quality and continuity of service

· Ensuring the safety and security of operations

· Ensuring personal and professional management skills to support shipping services

The draft NOS are now being made available to the industry as a whole for full consultation, to ensure they fully and accurately identify the competencies required by shore-based ship management staff. The consultation exercise is being carried out by the Project Consultant, Sharon Frazer, of Chase Consulting and managed by the Glenys Jackson at the MNTB.

Once the NOS have been completed they will be freely available on the official Government occupational standards website for use as workforce development tools and further work will define their use within relevant qualifications for ship management professionals.

The consultation documents are available here along with full instructions for completion and return. If you need any further information please contact Glenys Jackson at the MNTB on 020 7417 2876 or email glenys.jackson@mntb.org.uk