The New Deck TRB Is In Development!

If all goes to plan, the new TRB will have three functions; it will need to support the following areas of learning:

1. The statutory requirements of onboard training as laid down in STCW.

• This section would be under the direct purview of the MCA.
• It would include such things as familiarisation training, drills etc.

2. Learning to support professional education leading to the award of MCA Certificates of Competency.

• IAMI members involved in the yacht crew training in consultation with the MCA would inform and drive this.
• It would involve specific activities to prepare candidates for classroom-based learning.

3. The needs of the management company master and senior crew.

• Training and education must be dictated by changing circumstances yet to be adopted by STCW and flag state regulations, such as Lithium-Ion battery fires, use of thermal imaging cameras etc.
• Training and education needs relating to yacht activities outside statutory requirements, such as tender operations, water sports supervision, guest relations and hospitality.
• These tasks and assignments would be informed and driven by senior crew (through the PYA); and, possibly, management companies (through MYBA?) and shipyards (through SYBAss?). Maybe classification societies or insurance companies?

The new TRB should be a living document, permanently maintained by the yachting stakeholders. A questionnaire will shortly be sent to Captains, HODs, senior crew and Yacht Management companies to help the PYA TRB working group create the new document’s first draft. In addition, there will be another questionnaire to instructors and lecturers at all the yacht training providers to trawl for ideas about how to support deck crew in their personal development onboard.

The idea of the new TRB is to facilitate crew taking ownership of their learning. Once the book is in digital format, which could happen very quickly once the tasks and assignments have been defined, crew will no longer be collecting meaningless signatures. Still, they will be accomplishing tasks and uploading evidence on their phones. This could be video, audio, text documents or photographs. Instead of signing a book, supervising officers onboard will log in to the platform themselves and approve (or not) what has been uploaded. The TRB will be visible to an MCA examiner before an oral and can be maintained afterwards as the foundation of a Continuous Professional Development ladder, as is currently being discussed by significant industry associations. Exciting times!

John Wyborn