A major European Union funded project is underway to investigate ways of improving the “employability” of European commercial skippers in the SCV (Small Commercial Vessels) sector.
The Trecvet project is developing an online tool to break down the SCV training and certification syllabi from EU countries into their smallest parts and then make them comparable with each other. This approach been piloted in three partner countries: the UK, Spain and Germany. The Trecvet consortium hopes that this unique approach will enable maritime authorities across the EU to compare each other's qualifications, find areas of compatibility, and thereby enhance the possibilities of mutual recognition of each other's national SCV qualifications. This would then lead to greater free movement of seafarers within the EU and increased employment opportunities.
The need for this project arose due to the fact that within the SCV sector, the qualifications of one EU member state are not recognised by the authorities of other member states e.g. UK qualified skippers residing in Spain can work on UK registered ships, but not on Spanish nor on any other EU registered vessel, and vice versa. This restricts the free movement of seafarers across the EU, specifically in the SCV sector.
A milestone in the project was achieved with the release of the beta version of the Trecvet tool, called the "fexTool". The fexTool is available to the public; and one if it's developers Bernie Bulter of SeaTeach S.L a Trecvet Project Officer had this to say:
"The fexTool offers industry experts and authorities a repeatable, standardised and transparent method for the comparison of sector related qualifications. The fexTool also provides a means to identify elements within a qualification that can be migrated to other, apparently, unrelated VET qualifications".
On the 20th September 2013 the consortium are hosting the Trecvet conference in Palma de Mallorca, where the full results of the project and the final version of the fexTool will be presented. Representatives from maritime authorities and institutions, crew agencies, accrediting bodies, shipping companies and journalists will be attending. For more information on the TRECVET project, and its conference visit the TRECVET website.
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