Contracting companies increasingly expect offshore personnel to hold a valid Certificate of Competence before they start a role. Whether candidates apply directly or through a recruitment agency, the certificate confirms that an individual is competent in safety-critical, operational, and technical activities relevant to their grade.
The criteria used to assess competence are normally drawn from the IMCA Competence Guidelines. These internationally recognised standards give the certificate its credibility across the global offshore energy sector.
What Is Competence?
Competence is not just about completing training. It combines three core elements:
- Knowledge — safety, technical, and operational understanding
- Skills — the practical ability to perform a task
- Experience — typically measured in days or years in a specific role
A Certificate of Competence provides evidence that an individual meets all three requirements for their grade.
Why Independent Certification Matters
Many large multinational organisations operate their own internal competence programmes. However, many operators either lack the internal resources to run such schemes or prefer to use an independent third-party certification body such as MTCS.
Personnel regularly move between organisations, or shift between employment and freelance contracting. When they do, their Certificate of Competence moves with them. A certificate issued by MTCS is completely independent, based on internationally accepted best practices, and can be evaluated as such — without needing to account for organisation-specific working methods.
What to Ask a Candidate at Interview
Understanding how a Certificate of Competence was awarded is just as important as seeing it. Contracting companies should ask the following questions at interview stage.
What experience was the certificate based on?
This is about context. An individual assessed as a Supervisor on small inspection-class ROV systems will not necessarily be suitable to supervise trenching operations. The context in which the certificate was awarded matters.
If a candidate’s background does not match the role, the contracting company should be prepared to invest in workplace training and coaching. It may be appropriate to employ the individual in a supporting role — for example, as a Senior Pilot Technician — and allow them to build experience under supervision before stepping up. During this period, they should be capturing evidence for their personal portfolio and contributing to their ongoing competence record.
How was the candidate assessed?
A certificate awarded solely on the basis of an interview is not sufficient. Assessment based only on questions and answers addresses knowledge, but it does not test skills or practical application.
Good assessment practice requires evidence of both skills and knowledge, gathered at the worksite, across a range of real work activities (not practice scenarios), and over a suitable period of time. Ideally, a qualified Skills Assessor will have carried out the assessment. Where a Skills Assessor was not available, a competent Technical Authority may have acted as a witness, working alongside the individual over an extended period.
For more on the distinction between these roles, read our article on Definitions of Witnesses and Assessors.
What is a suitable timeframe for achieving competence?
Timeframes vary by role and grade, but IMCA specifies them clearly in their guidelines. Each grade in the IMCA framework includes entry criteria that set out the minimum offshore experience required before an individual can apply for assessment.
For example, an ROV Supervisor must have accumulated at least 180 days of experience as a Senior Pilot Technician before being eligible to apply. During that time as Senior Pilot Technician, the individual develops supervisory skills in a controlled environment. A useful parallel exists in aviation: a trainee pilot is permitted to fly under the supervision of a qualified pilot before achieving independent competence.
What evidence should the candidate hold?
Evidence underpins everything. A strong competence portfolio typically includes:
- Observation Records – confirmation that a Witness, Supervisor, or Assessor observed the individual carrying out their tasks
- Assessment of Knowledge – records showing that questioning took place to confirm the individual understands the concepts behind their activities
- Feedback from Assessors or Witnesses – notes on what the individual did well, what required improvement, and any further actions needed
- Log Books – formal records of the individual’s career, operational hours, types of operations, and equipment used; all entries should be signed and dated
- Additional Evidence – this may include witness statements, assessment plans, appraisals, log sheets, maintenance logs, photographs, videos, and training records
All evidence should carry the signatures of both the individual and the Assessor or Witness, and must be dated to confirm it is current.
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?
Verification is the process of checking the quality of an individual’s evidence before it is submitted for assessment and the award of a Certificate of Competence. It is carried out by a qualified verifier, who is separate from the Assessor. The verifier provides feedback to the candidate, and the Assessor also has sight of this feedback.
Verification may be carried out by a previous employer or by an independent certification company.
How to Check a Certificate of Competence Is Genuine
Forged certificates exist. When reviewing a candidate’s certificate, check signatures, certificate numbers, dates, watermarks, and overall print quality. If anything looks wrong, contact the awarding body directly to verify its validity.
MTCS certificates can be validated using the MTCS Certificate Validation Tool.
FAQ
What is a Certificate of Competence?
A Certificate of Competence confirms that an individual has been assessed as competent in safety-critical, operational, and technical activities relevant to their role. Assessment criteria are typically drawn from the IMCA Competence Guidelines.
Who issues Certificates of Competence offshore?
Certificates can be issued by large operators with internal competence programmes, or by independent third-party certification bodies such as MTCS.
How do I verify an MTCS certificate?
Use the MTCS Certificate Validation Tool at online.mtcs.info/local/tlmtcs/validate.php.
What evidence should an assessed individual hold?
A competence portfolio should include observation records, knowledge assessments, assessor feedback, log books, and other supporting documentation. All evidence must be signed and dated.
Summary
An organisation is only as strong as the people within it. In the offshore and maritime energy sectors, where poor performance at any level carries serious consequences, the value of properly verified competence cannot be overstated.
MTCS has supported organisations and individuals across these industries for over two decades. We are proud to be recognised as a trusted partner and a respected global authority on competence for the demanding roles carried out in this sector.
To find out how our competence certification schemes could benefit your existing workforce or support the recruitment of new personnel, get in touch with the team today.
