Guidance on competence assurance, assessment and verification

Summary

IMCA Competence Assurance, Assessment and Verification guidance, was designed to contribute to improved safety in the offshore industry by providing an assurance framework for members to assure the competence of all personnel within scope of IMCA Competence Assessment and Assurance frameworks. Thereby giving the offshore industry in general, confidence that all relevant personnel can carry out their jobs in an effective manner.

A competent workforce is more productive, operates with reduced risk, has shorter periods of downtime and fewer injuries. At the same time, there is need for a practical but robust assessment and verification procedure to be in place against which the workforce’s skills, forethought and judgement can be measured. A competence framework also enables personnel to plan their career development, as it outlines to them the steps required in order to attain the required levels of competence for their current job function and future career path development.

As employees receive training, they broaden their skill base, and then gain experience or attain more professional knowledge through practical application of their skills. However, to counter skill fade and the risk of acquiring bad or poor work practices there is a requirement to routinely assess, test or examine both currency and competence against specific criteria based on job functions. Those responsible for conducting and verifying professional competence assessments clearly require some direction, guidance and training on how to carry out this responsibility equitably and consistently. Therefore, as part of the IMCA Competence Assurance & Assessment framework, it is recommended that companies develop suitable auditing arrangements to ensure that assessors and verifiers apply criteria in a coherent and appropriate manner.

Contents

• Introduction
• Competence Assurance Schemes
• Implementation Guidance
• Competence Assessment and Verification

Version history

May 2024, Rev. 3.2 – Reactivated and retitled – stand-alone guidance with competence tables separated in IMCA C002-005

Jan 1999, Initial publication – Combined content of C002-005; later withdrawn