It has become increasingly commonplace for contracting companies to expect personnel applying for positions – either directly or through recruitment agencies – to hold a valid Certificate of Competence.
The Certificate is intended to confirm that the individual is competent in safety critical, operational and, where applicable, specific technical activities and the criteria against which their competence has been measured is normally contained within the IMCA Competence Guidelines.
For reference, Competence can be defined as having a combination of:
- Knowledge – safety, technical and operational
- Skills – the ability to perform a task
- Experience – normally measured in days or years in a particular role
Whilst the global offshore energy sector has numerous large multinational organisations working within it who run their own internal competence programs, there are even more operators who don’t have such internal resources or prefer for competence to be provided by an independent third party issuing body such as MTCS.
Like any industry, personnel move from one organisation to another, or from being fully employed to a freelance contractor (and vice versa) and their Certificate of Competence, wherever issued, transfers with them.
An appreciable benefit of a Certificate issued by MTCS is that it is completely independent and based on internationally accepted best practices and can be evaluated thus, rather than having to make allowances for organisation-specific approaches to tasks.
What to ask the individual at interview
It is important that contracting companies appreciate the process by which the Certificate has been awarded and to question the individual at interview stage on the background to them achieving their Certificate.
The following list contains some recommendations on what a contracting company should ask the individual (or their recruiting agent) when deciding whether to hire them:
On the basis of what experience was the Certificate of Competence awarded?
In assessment speak this is referring to the context in which the certificate was awarded. For example, the individual may have been assessed as a Supervisor over a number of years whilst working on small inspection class ROV systems; they will not, therefore, be suitable at this stage to Supervise trenching operations.
Is there a solution to this issue?
Normally an agent will ensure the individual does have the right background before putting them forward for the role, however this is not always the case. If the contractor intends to employ this individual (with the understanding that the Certificate of Competence has been awarded for a different discipline) then they must be prepared to invest time in workplace training/coaching of the individual in the operating procedures of their own company.
The individual has proven to be very capable of Supervising a team of personnel in a subsea operation, however they will need time to build up their knowledge of any new/unfamiliar equipment and working practices.
It may be worth employing them in a role below that of Supervisor (e.g. Senior Pilot) and allowing them time to build their skills, under Supervision, in the context of a Cable Burial Supervisor – effectively a ‘probation period’.
It is also expected that in such circumstances the individual will be capturing information which will build their personal portfolio and contributing towards their ongoing record of Competence.
How were they assessed prior to being awarded their Certificate of Competence?
It is important that individuals are regularly assessed in the workplace and have evidence that supports this. A Certificate that has been awarded only on the basis of an interview is normally not suitable as this may suggest that the assessment has only involved a question and answer session; only their knowledge has been assessed, rather than their continued practical application of the learning.
Good assessment practice must involve both skills and knowledge, at the worksite and on a range of real work activities (not practise scenarios) and over a suitable time period.
Ideally the assessment will have been carried out by suitably trained and qualified Skills Assessors.
If the individual has not had access to an Assessor then they may have been witnessed by a ‘Competent Technical Authority’ who will have worked alongside them for a considerable period of time.
Read our article covering Definitions of Witnesses and Assessors.
What is a suitable time period for someone to become competent?
Whilst the timescale does vary, IMCA specify time periods in their guidelines and each grade in the IMCA framework has ‘Entry Criteria’ which specifies how much offshore experience an individual must have to be eligible to apply for a Certificate of Competence.
For example, an ROV Supervisor must have gained at least 180 days experience as a Senior Pilot Technician prior to being able to apply for assessment as a Supervisor.
It is important to remember that during the time as Senior Pilot Technician the individual will have built up some of the skills as a Supervisor whilst under supervision themselves (i.e. they have acted as a Supervisor in a controlled environment but are not yet competent).
The most common example of this occurs in the airline industry where a trainee pilot is permitted to fly the aircraft, at an appropriate time, under supervision of the qualified (competent) pilot.
What evidence should the individual have to support their competence?
Evidence is crucially important and will typically comprise a portfolio of documentation that informs a contracting company that the individual has been assessed in the workplace on a range of activities and is the basis on which the individual is deemed competent. Evidence may include:
Observation Records
Confirmation that the individual has been observed (by a Witness/Supervisor/Assessor) carrying out their tasks.
Assessment of Knowledge
Some form of questioning has taken place to determine if the individual has an understanding of the concepts behind the activities they carry out.
Feedback from Assessors/Witnesses
This will indicate what the individual did well or not so well, and what further actions may be required to achieve competence.
Log Books
Log books contain formal records of the individual’s experience, for example, their career to date in the industry, operational hours, types of operation and equipment etc. It is important that all log books/entries are signed and dated by the Assessor/Witness.
Other Evidence
There may be a range of other evidence such as:
- Witness Statements/Testimonials
- Assessment Plans
- Appraisals
- Log Sheets
- Maintenance Logs
- Photography and Videos
- Training records etc
It is important that all evidence contains signatures of both the individual and the Assessor/Witness, with evidence also dated to confirm that it is current.
What is Verification?
It is important that all evidence belonging to the individual has been verified prior to being submitted for assessment and award of a Certificate of Competence.
Verification should be carried out by a qualified verifier (not the Assessor) and will check the quality of the evidence. The verifier will also have provided feedback to the Candidate, which the Assessor also has sight of.
Verification may have been carried out by a previous employer or perhaps an independent certification company.
Checking a Certificate of Competence is genuine
There are numerous instances where some individuals have presented forged Certificates of Competence at the time of interview.
It is important to check signatures, certificate numbers, dates, watermarks, quality etc. If in any doubt then it may be possible to contact the awarding body to check the validity of the certificate.
MTCS Certificates can be validated using the MTCS Certificate Validation Tool: https://online.mtcs.info/local/tlmtcs/validate.php
Summary
It may be a time honoured cliché, but it stands true: an organisation is only as good as its people.
In the global maritime and offshore energy sectors, where poor operational activities by personnel at any level can have massive consequences, the value of having competent people cannot be underestimated.
MTCS has supported organisations and individuals across these industries for over two decades and are proud to be seen as trusted partners and a respected global authority on competence for the demanding roles undertaken in this arena.
If you are a contracting organisation and would like to find out more how our competence schemes might benefit your existing personnel and help with the recruitment of new employees, then please get in touch.
