The TRECVET conference in Palma addresses the recognition of captain´s qualifications between Spain, Germany and UK

On the 20th of September the Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca will organize a conference regarding TRECVET, a project financed by the European Union whose objective is to create a tool for breaking down in more basic elements the different requirements for the course contents and profesional qualifications on recreational yachts, thus making them more objectively comparable.

The conference is free, you only need to register on their website.

The conference will be given in English and some authorities are going to participate:

1). Rafael Rodriguez Valero, Director General de la Marina Mercante,

2). José Escalas, Capitán Marítimo de Palma,

3). Carlos Sanlorenzo, President of ANEN,

4). José M. Bertrán President of ANPPER.

5). Margarita Dahlberg, President of AENIB,

6). Sarah Tresedar, CEO RYA,

7). Richard Falk, Chief Examiner, Royal Yachting Association(RYA),

8). Pat Bullock, Network Group.

The process of comparison will give the corresponding authorities a method for evaluation of requirements for obtaining profesional qualifications on recreational yachts in different countries, which would suppose a big step towards the recognition of these qualifications within the EU.

 TREVCET follows this objective by using as examples the following profesional qualifications for recreational yachts in the comercial sector (SCV):

          

• Germany (SportSee Schifferschein-SSS);
• Spain (Patrón Profesional de Embarcación de Recreo-PPER);
• U.K. (Yachtmaster Offshore Commercial).

The project arose from the first hand experiences of Sea Teach S.L, the coordinator of the project. Sea Teach S.L operates as a RYA Sea School and Motor Boat Charter Business with a base in Mallorca, Spain. Mike John, the Chief Instructor and Company Director, explains: “In tourist areas like the Balearic Islands, crews and captains from different countries and with different qualifications are required to work in the recreational yachting sector, while the yachts themselves are registered in various member countries. This combination hightlights the incompatibility issue between the member countries, which is a real problem for the crews from the EU. This means that even highly qualified captains can´t work on a boat that carries a flag other than his/her own, as the boat´s flag registry does not recognize his/her qualifications”.

 The lack of recognition of professional qualifications is very common in various sectors in Europe. Thats where the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) can offer solutions in the form transfer of credits. To achieve this, ECVET offers tools that help with the communication between the authorities and an exchange of information about the level of learning the pupils have reached. Lack of confidence between the corresponding authorities is a big problem for the implementation of the system, as the comparisons of the qualifications between the different countries are difficult.

 To combat this, the TRECVET project aims to offer a real solution by proposing the following measures:

 a)     Find a multilateral European approach for the profesional recreational yachting sector (SCV)

 b)  In a wider perspective, develop a software tool that allows the authorities to compare the qualifications from the different countries in an objective way.