IMCA launched a pilot Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme for diving supervisors in September 2019. This followed announcements of the programme in November 2018, outlining the development of an App based scheme incorporating the very latest in training techniques to support diving supervisors in keeping up to date with the latest information and guidelines from IMCA.
Trials of the App have been completed by a representative cross-section of diving supervisors from leading contractors in the industry who were invited to participate in the consultation and testing process to ensure the system is user-friendly, appropriate, and effective.
The feedback received from the trials and assessment processes has been very positive:
“I feel it fulfils the requirements for industry without taking too much time as well as being interesting and informative” and “The IMCA Diving Supervisor CPD App is very user friendly and very effective in my opinion” were just two of the comments from the recent survey, while a senior manager from a leading subsea contractor described the App as “A major step forward in enhancing the professionalism of the diving industry.”
The system will go-live to IMCA’s global diving community in Q1 2020 and from Q1 2021 will be a mandatory requirement to maintain IMCA Certification.
IMCA continues to consult widely with its membership and the development and governance of the system has been overseen by IMCA’s Diving Division Management Committee, comprising leading industry diving managers and experts.
Bryan McGlinchy, IMCA’s Diving Manager sets the scene: “This is a welcome addition to our flagship diving supervisor schemes and makes a tremendous contribution to modernising CPD in this sector of industry. These safety critical roles will now benefit from the best available technologies to help keep supervisory staff fully up to date with regulations, industry guidelines and best operating practices through a series of interactive tutorials and assessment routines. This is a significant step forward in maintaining competence, combating skill-fade, and keeping people safe.”
