New Course for Officers

The HND Nautical Science (Chief Mate) is aimed at officers who want to obtain a Chief Mate's Unlimited Certificate of Competency (CoC) which would qualify them to serve as a Chief Mate (second in command) on a merchant ship anywhere in the world. An HND is one of the main prerequisites for the Chief Mate's CoC.

The NAFC Marine Centre is introducing this course to meet the needs of merchant navy officers who live in Shetland and want to be able to obtain the qualification without the need to leave the islands to study away from home, and while continuing to work at sea. The course will be delivered through 'blended learning', which combines periods of tuition and assessment at NAFC with self-study and breaks to accommodate students' continued work commitments. Students registered on the course will be provided with learning materials in both hard copy and electronic formats and will have access to online support via email while they are away from the Centre.

Course leader Shubham Chowdhury commented that, "We have developed this course in response to many requests that we have had from seafarers who come home to Shetland on leave between periods working at sea and who want to get an HND without having to go away to study at a college on the Mainland. Our aim is to be as flexible as possible in delivering this course so that students can continue to work at sea and study while they are home on leave."

Andy Glen, Vice-Principal – Teaching and Learning, remarked that, "The introduction of this new course demonstrates how the NAFC Marine Centre can meet the needs of local seafarers who wish to obtain qualifications and progress in their careers. One of the main reasons why the Centre was founded 25 years ago was to enable local seafarers to obtain the qualifications that they needed without having to spend long periods away from their homes and jobs studying at Mainland colleges, and that remains as important today as it was then. The maritime industries, although often under-appreciated, remain vitally important to Shetland's economy and the need for local training as  strong as ever."

See full details of the HND Nautical Science (Chief Mate) course, and contact details for any queries.