Welcome

Maritime Career Training (MCT) provides Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) approved Certificate of Safety Training courses. These courses are delivered over 8 straight days, including weekends and public holidays to minimise the time you have to take off work to attend them. We conduct all the training including Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting at our Nambour training centre except the sea survival practical which is conducted at the nearby Kawana Aquatic Centre. If you have successfully completed all the course assessments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment on the last day of the course. We conduct at least two courses each month so we can often provide places on our courses at short notice.

The Certificate of Safety Training (CoST) issued by AMSA meets the requirements of the International Maritime Organization's Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, as amended. (The STCW Convention).

Important recent changes to the Certificate of Safety Training issued by AMSA

As a result of recent amendments to the international STCW convention, the Certificates of Safety Training issued by AMSA are now valid for five years from the date of issue.

All certificates previously issued by AMSA as perpetual now expire on the 1st of January, 2017. If you hold one of these certificates and you wish to continue your career at sea beyond that date, you must revalidate your certificate by 31st December, 2016. As a minimum you must attend a Basic Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting course and a Personal Survival Training course at an AMSA approved training centre such as Maritime Career Training as part of the revalidation process.

Another amendment to the STCW convention requires that all seafarers complete a one day maritime security course. Therefore, when applying to AMSA for revalidation from January 1, 2017 or a new issue of a Certificate of Safety Training after January 1, 2014, it will be necessary to have completed a one day maritime security course at an AMSA approved training centre. Maritime Career Training is working towards providing this training as a fifth short course in addition to the four courses already offered which currently make up the Certificate of Safety Training,

For further information about the changes to the STCW convention and how they affect Australian Seafarers, please visit AMSA's website at www.amsa.gov.au.

STCW 95

Commonly incorrectly referred to as STCW95 Basic Safety Training, this qualification is an essential pre-requisite for everyone seeking work in the offshore oil and gas industry or on an Australian registered vessel.

Superyachts

This qualification is also very widely recognised by other Flag States (other countries who are signatories to the International Maritime Organization's STCW convention). The United Kingdom Maritime and Coastguard Agency (the MCA) recognises this qualification. MCA recognition of your Certificate of Safety Training is required as a pre-requisite to obtaining work as a crew member on most of the world's superyachts.

An AMSA Certificate of Safety Training may also be recognised by State and Territory waterways authorities in Australia as being equivalent to or a higher level qualification than Elements of Shipboard Safety, required to work on an Australian State or Territory registered vessel. Candidates requiring an Elements of Shipboard Safety Certificate should enquire with their state waterways authority about recognition of the CoST before enrolling.

It is important to note that AMSA will only issue a Certificate of Safety Training to those candidates who complete the CoST at an AMSA approved Registered Training Organisation such as MCT.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

MCT's Certificate of Safety Training Course comprises four short courses - Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (Fire), Personal Survival Techniques (PST), Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR) and Elementary First Aid.

AMSA will only allow RPL for the Basic First Aid part of the training.

As an accredited provider of training and assessment services we are obliged to offer recognition of prior learning (RPL) to any student who believes he or she can substantiate a claim to being already competent in a particular unit of a course we deliver under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).  

Presently we deliver just one course for which RPL is applicable - Apply First Aid. AMSA do not accept any First Aid certificates other than those issued by an AMSA approved training establishment. The theory training and assessment for our First Aid training is provided through internet based on-line learning. The practical training and assessment is delivered during attendance at a one day course, usually held on a Wednesday. If your First Aid certificate and your CPR has been revalidated within the two months prior to the commencement of our First Aid training day and you can satisfy us with evidence of this then we will recognise your current competency in Apply First Aid. In this case you will not need to complete the on-line learning nor will you need to attend the practical First Aid training. However, there will be no reduction if fees. If your Apply First Aid certificate and CPR revalidation was issued more then two months but within three years of the commencement date of our Apply First Aid course then you must complete both the on-line learning as well as the training and assessment conducted in the classroom. Again there will be no reduction in the course fee. If you are competent then the on-line learning component of the training should only take you an hour or two to complete.

Applying to AMSA for your Certificate of Safety Training

Having received MCT's Statement of Attainment, the next step is to apply to AMSA for the issue of a Certificate of Safety Training. Currently this certificate is provided in a passport style photo ID format. With your application to AMSA you must provide ID and other documents endorsed as true copies of the originals by a Justice of the Peace or other AMSA approved person. The application form 63 can be downloaded from http://www.amsa.gov.au/forms/AMSA63.pdf. There is a fee of $155 payable to AMSA for the issue of the Certificate of Safety Training.

Course Entry Requirements

There are no sea time, physical, race, gender or academic pre-requisites. However, the practical elements of the training are physically demanding. If you are unable to lift weights of up to to your body weight then you will have difficulty with the PST and the FIRE modules of the training. The PST practical assessment also demands that you can swim and stay afloat without a buoyancy device. Candidates must have attained the age of 16 years before commencing the training. However, it might be difficult for anyone younger than 18 years of age to obtain work in the maritime industries.

To start the journey to your maritime career please call

Barry Barnes on 0418 243 042 or email Barry on bb@stcw95.net