The implementation of new international regulations like ISM has seen a decline in the number of marine casualties, but the human factor is still the main cause of accidents at sea. DNV's SeaSkill could turn this tide.
Bjorgulf Haukelid, who heads the new DNV unit dedicated to services related to competence, operations and management (COM), is clear in his views: "The best players in the industry are waking up to the fact that the big differentiator in performance is the human factor. What makes people tick? What motivates them? How can they be provided the necessary support to develop their skills and become competent, not just qualified? The whole subject is ripe for focus."
DNV SeaSkill is a unit within COM dedicated to helping the industry identify, maintain and develop competence at both the organisation and individual level. So instead of focusing on training as a means to an end, DNV SeaSkill asks the vital question: what must people be able to do in order to be effective in carrying out their functions?
Seafarer competence
The answer is a systematic approach. For too long, the industry has been dependent on a paper-driven and training-led approach to the qualification of seafarers. This emphasis has meant that specific competences based on ship-type and skills have played a secondary role. The limited number of cadet positions onboard has exacerbated the situation.
The STCW Convention was meant to establish minimum competence requirements but instead, in many cases, it has become the highest standard for training. Even more problematic is the fact that there is wide variation in the interpretation of the STCW Code by administrations around the world. The result is that the best ship operators use considerable resources in upgrading the competence of their personnel, even though they already have the 'right' certificates allowing them to operate ships.
There is a clear need for established standards of competence based on the actual job requirements of individual positions, depending on ship-type and rank. Such a set of global standards would enable the industry to train, assess and improve competence uniformly, with benchmarks for measurement and transparency in the process.
Desire to excel
There are mandatory standards that the industry has to adhere to in order to do business, of course, but there are many ship operators who wish to go beyond the mandatory requirements. These companies are motivated by a desire to excel and see a clear need to put in place additional competence-building measures. Every position outside the direct purview of the STCW Convention has a potential need for competence standards.
Capt. Yashoverman Sharma, head of Barber International's Maritime Training Centre in Mumbai believes that future maritime training will see a greater emphasis on shipboard education, with structured training for handling the responsibilities of higher ranks before promotion.
"The industry is driving this today by laying down experience and competence level requirements for each rank," he said. "A present driver in this respect is the DNV SeaSkill system, wherein different committees of experts are now working with the competence levels for different ranks on different vessel-types and trades."
Organisations that have a proper competence management system are only part of the efforts needed to ensure competence. The maritime training sector needs to adhere to standards with regard to the quality of content and delivery, including the quality of instructors and teachers. The final proof of the pudding is a system to assess and certify individuals as competent to fulfil their job descriptions. In both cases, training and personnel certification, a standards-based approach is necessary.
Certificate of competency
At DNV SeaSkill, the goal is to provide these standards. As Haukelid stresses: "We are now in the process of providing various vessel- and trade-based standards that will enable us to assess and certify individuals. For example, we are soon going to launch the first standard to address the competence requirements of ships' superintendents. They play a crucial role in shipping, yet there is no commonly accepted definition of what a superintendent should be able to do. Soon, we will be able to assess and certify ships' superintendents against a DNV SeaSkill standard."
While people are in the frontline when it comes to performing their tasks and fulfilling their job functions, it is the organisation which sets the tone and environment. Therefore, a proper approach to competence begins at the organisation level. "The idea is simple: in order to produce a competent workforce, three factors have to be optimised. These factors are the organisation, the individual, and the training and assessment which helps individuals acquire relevant competences. All three must be efficient in order for competence to thrive," says Bjorgulf Haukelid.