AEC 1 & 2 courses?

[Sea Change]

I'm toying with doing a few courses with the aim of being able to pick up some work in the marine sector. I've already worked as a commercial skipper on small tour boats etc, but I'd like to aim a bit higher.

The MCA Approved Engine Course seems to come up a lot as a requirement. It would be interesting to hear from anybody who has done this, and whether it was useful, informative, etc.

 

[madabouttheboat]

I did the AEC a number fo years ago. Found it very interesting and very useful.

 

[Sea Change]

I did the AEC a number fo years ago. Found it very interesting and very useful.

Which level did you do?

 

[madabouttheboat]

Which level did you do?

Im not sure there was a leve 1 and 2 when I did it. Reading the descriptions, I would say it covered both levels.

 

[Sea Change]

Im not sure there was a leve 1 and 2 when I did it. Reading the descriptions, I would say it covered both levels.

Did you use it professionally?
I'm already familiar with basic small diesel servicing and maintenance, but I've not really done anything beyond filters, impeller, HEX cleaning, etc. Would be good to dive a bit deeper.
At £1k per course I wouldn't want to find out that the first level was only covering things I already know..

 

[RunAgroundHard]

... At £1k per course I wouldn't want to find out that the first level was only covering things I already know..

The investment is on the return, whether that be the wages, fees that you will get, hopefully becuase AE1 and AE2 are differentiators in your favour for getting work. However, a colleagues nephew works on super yachts as an engineer and he has passed his UK MCA Engineering CoC (3rd Engineer). He said it is very competitive. Unfortunately, it looks like you have to do AEC 1 to get accepted onto AEC 2, or have another MCA approved engineering course to get onto AEC 2.

This may not be relevant to you, so please ignore. A few adverts for workboat positions, UK, are now satating that RYA YM commercially endorsed will not be considered for roles. However, if you do the 4 basic STCW courses, and have a YM Commercial, you can have that endorsed "The certificate holder has completed training under the STCW code A-V1/1Para 2.1" which somewhat helps to get round this bias.

 

[madabouttheboat]

Did you use it professionally?
I'm already familiar with basic small diesel servicing and maintenance, but I've not really done anything beyond filters, impeller, HEX cleaning, etc. Would be good to dive a bit deeper.
At £1k per course I wouldn't want to find out that the first level was only covering things I already know..

I am now a marine tech so I guess I do use it professionally, although that wasn’t the reason for doing it initially.

The course I did went way beyond filters etc. we stripped and rebuilt an engine down to its various components.

 

[Sea Change]

I am now a marine tech so I guess I do use it professionally, although that wasn’t the reason for doing it initially.

The course I did went way beyond filters etc. we stripped and rebuilt an engine down to its various components.

That sounds good.
The second level course includes refrigeration.
I wonder just how much you can really learn about diesel engines and refrigerators in ten days.

 

[steve yates]

I did AEC1 in march, it was really interesting and I learned a lot.I think if you already know a lot its an expensive way of getting the ticket, but probably the only way. One job you could get is an AEC instructor they are desperately short of them. Both Glasgow & Lowestoft couldn’t run the courses for lack of, I had to go to cowes.

 

[steve yates]

It covers all sorts of other stuff like bunkering, confined spaces assesment, discharge regs etc etc. Its aimed at getting started in the industry, all my classmates were superyacht staff. Its overkill for leisure yachting but not boring.
They had us dismantling engines from day 1, then more of it on day 2, then day 3, then when you had forgotten what you had done, they told you to start reassembling it, which was sneaky but clever, since you couldn’t just rely on memory but had to think it through.

 

[colind3782]

I did it at UKSA in Cowes back in 2019 with a view to increasing my knowledge and, perhaps, helping my neighbours with their engines. No intention to work professionally. I found it very interesting and it certainly increased my knowledge. Then Covid happened