Portfolio

[ETwhat?]

I'm sure in my TRB theres something aobut trying to make the workbook a sensible format so that you can use it as an aide for future work, so yeah filling it up with inspected the steering gear and adding areas to pay attention to, comon faults and fixes etc makes it a useful document instead fo something just done for the sake of it

out of interest Dawg whcih college have you found to be detached from the real world, ive found STC's reports just add pressure in that you need to try to find work that satisfies the requirement for the reports, check with the college that they do and then do the work, garther the evidence, write the report etc.

[dawg]

I think your first paragraph is the same as what I said.

The reality they are detached from... is the one where they act as though what the wording of what is written in the MGN about what's supposed to happen at sea, actually does happen at sea. It doesn't, we just muddle through. The stuff talked about weekly meetings with DSTOs and the cheif reading this and that, and people taking much interest in the specifics of what the college say will happen, is make-believe.

How many of the officers who cadets are placed with at sea have been through any of this kind of system, and understand or care about it? Not many as a percentage.
Many are from other countries, and have no incentive or threat to make them do anything, they help because they feel like it, or are bored, or can maybe see a benefit in training the cadet to do some tasks that can be convenient for them.

It may be that it's just that there the rules set out for the design of an FD mean that there has to be some kind of report writing, and what we all seem to be saying is that the report writing should be directly linked to the tasks in the TRB. The precise wording of tasks in the TRB might be an issue for some, but you have to be reasonable considering the great variety of ships cadets might be placed on.

It's not unreasonable to suggest that, all TRBs have categories of stuff to do, so write a report on each category, and make it comprise a little bit on each task with photos and some evidence that you know what's going on.
At the moment, you can in theory get all the sigs done in a week over a crate of beer, and then have to wade through really abstruse and badly contrived reports on specific bits of equipment when everyone knows that ships can be quite different... CPP cruise ships, little OSVs, steam tankers, twin engined LNGs, research vessels, and quasi-miltary support ships, the TRB should cover the common ground, and then when you qualify you spend a couple of tours as a very junior officer when you really learn how to do the job, and maybe unlearn a lot of college stuff (that could be said for almost every course really).

I might add that another reality the colleges are detached from is the one where they think an "engineering officer" is actually an officer or an engineer.... they are not officers any more than some HR liaison officer is an officer; and they are not engineers, they are industrial plumbers and electricians - technicians in other words; even a chief engineer is not really an engineer, but a skilled manager of technicians (engineers design things). Similarly, I would argue that Deck officers are more like flight crew (or depending on your company, truck drivers or post(wo)men :O ). There's a fair bit of delusions of grandeur at these colleges, but it's not all their fault, the MCA probably has a fair bit to do with it... living in the past.

There seems to be a fair bit of lip service being paid in terms of fulfilling training and classroom (I refuse to call it "academic" 'cos it isn't) stuff, with a fair bit of pompous bluster about how world class it is. The TRB isn't really a properly-designed training doc, and it seems a little silly sending someone round to bother working officers for signatures, when the officers are not part of the training institution or briefed about the expectations upon them... the solution is probably to have training ships run by training institutions or companies (companies might be better).

[ETwhat?]

I think your first paragraph is the same as what I said.

I was simply extending your idea from a good idea picked up from an officer and relating it to what the TRB actually says. I must say im intregued to know how im going to get to demonstrate the ablity to recharge a fire extinguisher :s

[size4riggerboots]

Now that's a simple one, go hang out with the safety officer for a few days. If you're on a cruise ship, he'll probably have a wee team of petty officers working for him, doing continuous fire extinguisher inspections and maintenance, as well as hoses, boats, davits and falls etc. Recharging a fire extinguisher is dead simple. My report on it only went on for 8 pages... (Most of which is pictures showing me doing the job!)

[CharlieDelta]

Only 8 pages??!!

[size4riggerboots]

Easy when you know how! My cargo ops report for the Ro-pax stretched to 16 pages

(PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES!!!!)

[ETwhat?]

I will have to go and pester him, although not on a cruise ship so considerably less around.

[CharlieDelta]

Ask whoever's responsible for FFA if you can do a water extinguisher - it's simple and costs nothing! With powder and foam you need the powder or concentrate; with water you just fill it up from the tap, maybe grease the screw threads on the collar, give it a quick clean, check/change the CO2 charge and that's that. Takes 5/10 minutes.

[size4riggerboots]

Yes, but you should know what you're doing with all types of extinguisher, what weight the CO2 charge should be, how full of the extinguishant to fill it, and always always check the bottom for rust!!!!

[Chiefy]

Nowt worse than a rusty bottom

[YoungMariner]

I agree as above, the best person to follow on the cruise ship is the safety officer. There is so much work to be done, and so much maintenance that you can do, that you be able to fill your portfolio ten times over. A few days with the bosun wouldn't do any harm.

[dawg]

I was simply extending your idea from a good idea picked up from an officer and relating it to what the TRB actually says. I must say im intregued to know how im going to get to demonstrate the ablity to recharge a fire extinguisher :s

I reckon CO2 ones are the best bet... the rest will be replaced by the supplier won't they.

So much of it is utter bollocks... I mean, in what parallel universe is a cadet going to be working on HV?!

[CharlieDelta]

CO2 extinguishers are generally not recharged on board.

[ETwhat?]

High Voltage Mister Delta its the stuff that i would guess on your ship that makes it move across the sea,

Yeah in the last month of phase one we were dealing with HV earthing down but then as an ETO its possible that your going to be dealing with it as soon as your qualified so it does make sense that you get as much learning in as possible.

[alistairuk]

I reckon CO2 ones are the best bet... the rest will be replaced by the supplier won't they.

You normally only recharge Dry Powder (and if your ship still carries them; Water and Foam) onboard - co2 is pretty much always done ashore.