Marine Engineering
Discussion
Hi all,
Looking for some advice/information on two interrelated points.
Firstly - I’d like to know if it is possible to get started in marine engineering without going down the 3 year HND/officer cadet route?
As much as I would like to do the above a combination of family and financial commitments probably rule that out – age probably does not help my chances there either.
I served my time as a mechanic in the motor trade but left the trade and have been working in forestry for a number of years.
Secondly - I volunteered with the RNLI for a few years and while there, I completed the MCA 30 hr AEC. The instructed had remarked that this course can be used as a “first rung” onto the MCA Engineering Training Scheme which I believe relates to smaller vessels but I’ve struggled to find out much about it, hence this post.
Thanks in advance for any advice/insights
Looking for some advice/information on two interrelated points.
Firstly - I’d like to know if it is possible to get started in marine engineering without going down the 3 year HND/officer cadet route?
As much as I would like to do the above a combination of family and financial commitments probably rule that out – age probably does not help my chances there either.
I served my time as a mechanic in the motor trade but left the trade and have been working in forestry for a number of years.
Secondly - I volunteered with the RNLI for a few years and while there, I completed the MCA 30 hr AEC. The instructed had remarked that this course can be used as a “first rung” onto the MCA Engineering Training Scheme which I believe relates to smaller vessels but I’ve struggled to find out much about it, hence this post.
Thanks in advance for any advice/insights
Regarding your first point, I joined the RN as a marine engineer with next to no previous experience, although I do appreciate the life style isn't for everyone, it is an easy way in to gain hands on experience whilst gaining civvy qualifications.
As you've mentioned family and financial commitments, it would possibly be a tough in the beginning due to spending a lot of time away at sea and earning not a lot for a few years!
As you've mentioned family and financial commitments, it would possibly be a tough in the beginning due to spending a lot of time away at sea and earning not a lot for a few years!
Not too sure you could get into it without doing the HND/Degree course now, you might be able to do it distance learning to get the HND part, but you would still need a class 4 officer of the watch ticket and fire fighting/medical and other certificates to work and that would require sea time, which would probably mean getting taken on by a company as a cadet any way.
There are a few british crew about who worked the way through the ranks to become officers but most companies don't employ british crews any more so getting sea time this way is probably a no go.
Not sure if the link below is any help
http://www.stc.ac.uk/content/marine-college/certif...
I've certainly not heard of any one getting into it any other way.
There are a few british crew about who worked the way through the ranks to become officers but most companies don't employ british crews any more so getting sea time this way is probably a no go.
Not sure if the link below is any help
http://www.stc.ac.uk/content/marine-college/certif...
I've certainly not heard of any one getting into it any other way.
TheStig44 said:
Regarding your first point, I joined the RN as a marine engineer with next to no previous experience, although I do appreciate the life style isn't for everyone, it is an easy way in to gain hands on experience whilst gaining civvy qualifications.
As you've mentioned family and financial commitments, it would possibly be a tough in the beginning due to spending a lot of time away at sea and earning not a lot for a few years!
Marine Engineer you say?As you've mentioned family and financial commitments, it would possibly be a tough in the beginning due to spending a lot of time away at sea and earning not a lot for a few years!
No experience, you say?
No civvy qualifications, you say?
You didnt also happen to be the same young junior stoker on the HMS Ark Royal who in 1974 went ashore and told a couple of young ladies in Florida that he also flew F4 Phantoms from the flightdeck are you?
Did you mean to say that you joined the RN as a Mechanic or was it the Apprentice route?
West17 said:
Hi all,
Looking for some advice/information on two interrelated points.
Firstly - I’d like to know if it is possible to get started in marine engineering without going down the 3 year HND/officer cadet route?
As much as I would like to do the above a combination of family and financial commitments probably rule that out – age probably does not help my chances there either.
I served my time as a mechanic in the motor trade but left the trade and have been working in forestry for a number of years.
Marine Guidance Note (MGN93) shows the various routes applicable for entry into Marine Engineering, including how you can get shore engineering qualifications assessed against Merchant Navy Courses. You can use MEOL or SMEOL up to 750kW, after that you need 'big boys' tickets.Looking for some advice/information on two interrelated points.
Firstly - I’d like to know if it is possible to get started in marine engineering without going down the 3 year HND/officer cadet route?
As much as I would like to do the above a combination of family and financial commitments probably rule that out – age probably does not help my chances there either.
I served my time as a mechanic in the motor trade but left the trade and have been working in forestry for a number of years.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mgn_093_eng.pdf
West17 said:
Secondly - I volunteered with the RNLI for a few years and while there, I completed the MCA 30 hr AEC. The instructed had remarked that this course can be used as a “first rung” onto the MCA Engineering Training Scheme which I believe relates to smaller vessels but I’ve struggled to find out much about it, hence this post.
Thanks in advance for any advice/insights
I think the AEC ticket is for progession purely for the 'Commercial Yachts' certification structure (this includes privately operated 'mega yachts' up to 3,000gt & 9,000kW - which is fairly chunky).Thanks in advance for any advice/insights
You can find the info and career progression in MGN156
http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mgn_156_eng_yacht.pdf
As always, there's far easier to understand info out there than the Gov't provides, for example Warsash Maritime Academy has handily translated Gov't speak into English
http://www.warsashacademy.co.uk/careers/engineerin...
Not an engineer myself, so no tricky engineering questions please (as I'll look a fool!), just some experience of the smaller end of the eng certification scale.
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