New ECDIS Course Allows Captains to Train Own

Training the trainer introduces significant cost and time efficiencies.

Kongsberg Maritime has launched a new ECDIS Instructor Training course designed to train Captains and senior personnel, so they can train other officers and crew members in familiarization of Kongsberg ECDIS on board vessels.

Offered in Norway and Singapore, the course is in accordance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). It is a unique approach to type-specific ECDIS training and has been developed as a response to new IMO (International Maritime Organization) regulations and demand for certification in the use of ECDIS, resulting in an increasing requirement for ECDIS training.

“We have developed a new training course that includes both technical ECDIS training on our systems as well as pedagogical components,” explains Tommy Edvardsen Hvidsten, Product Manager Training, Kongsberg Maritime. “The course enables Captains to train their own officers and crew, which significantly reduces training and travel costs compared to each crew member attending separate ECDIS training courses.”

In addition to certificated training, course participants receive a kit of exercises to use when training their own staff. Although those who take part in the instructor course are cleared to conduct Kongsberg Maritime familiarisation ECDIS training, Kongsberg Maritime is still responsible for testing the skills of officers and crew that have been trained by the course participant, and for issuing the ECDIS competence certificate.

“While the participants of the ECDIS Instructor Training course complete the test at our training centers, those who are trained by someone who has taken the course, must complete an online test. Based on the results of this test we will issue the necessary certificate. This gives us the possibility of controlling quality and ensuring course participants have in fact received the required training according to the standard,” continues Hvidsten. “The goal of this and all of our courses is to provide realistic training in a safe environment, in order to give the participants the necessary confidence to operate our systems in all conditions.”

So far, two ECDIS instructor training courses have been conducted. However, the course is in great demand and has already been booked by several clients.