Hugh Williams
The results of a questionnaire, developed by the International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) Competence & Training Core Committee, aimed at offshore personnel, revealed that 64% of the 276 offshore personnel from over 35 contractor members who responded used a competence scheme.
“We were highly encouraged, not only by answers to the questionnaire, but that so many people took part in it, ” says Hugh Williams, Chief Executive of IMCA. “It was possible for respondents to select more than one division from marine, diving, ROV and survey, and also to select more than one answer for what form of employee they were. This means that some of the results can suggest that more than 276 respondents took part; and also made comments.”
The analysis of the questionnaire results showed that:
- The majority of respondents in competence schemes said they understood how the schemes worked;
- Personnel employed in ROV activities were more in favour of competence schemes than personnel in any other activities;
- Roughly three-quarters of respondents found assessors to be credible;
- Around two-thirds of respondents found competence transferable between employers;
- Around three-quarters of respondents felt they should be in a competence scheme;
- Around two-thirds of respondents said they were aware of the IMCA competence framework;
- Only around a third of respondents had been asked for evidence of competence when moving between employers.
A full breakdown of the results has been published by IMCA as an information note (IMCA C 08/12); and the findings and results will be addressed in the continuing work programme of the IMCA Competence & Training Core Committee.
About IMCA
• IMCA is an international association with over 850 members in more than 60 countries representing offshore, marine and underwater engineering companies. IMCA has four technical divisions, covering marine/specialist vessel operations, offshore diving, hydrographic survey and remote systems and ROVs, plus geographic sections for the Asia-Pacific, Central & North America, Europe & Africa, Middle East & India and South America regions. As well as a core focus on safety, the environment, competence and training. IMCA seeks to promote its members’ common interests, to resolve industry-wide issues and to provide an authoritative voice for its members.
• IMCA publishes some 200 guidance notes and technical reports – many are available for free downloading by members and non-members alike. These have been developed over the years and are extensively distributed. They are a definition of what IMCA stands for, including widely recognised diving and ROV codes of practice, DP documentation, marine good practice guidance, the Common Marine Inspection Document (CMID) – now available electronically as e-CMID, safety recommendation, outline training syllabi and the IMCA competence scheme guidance. In addition to the range of printed guidance documents, IMCA also produces safety promotional materials, circulates information notes and distributes safety flashes
