Expiry dates on International Certificates.

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MasterofHera

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I have just noticed that my wifes Int, Cert. for Operator of Pleasure Craft is running out soon. She under took an RYA inland water helmsmans course so that she could helm through the french canals for me. So my questions is "how do we renew this qualification", nothing on the Cert. has any address to write to? Does she have to undergo another course or is it just "pay your money" and the RYA will renew it automatically?
 
It's not only individuals who are being soaked. The FE College where I worked paid a 'Recognition Fee' of around £65 p.a. to the RYA each of the half-dozen years I was there, to be permitted to run RYA Shorebased Courses. I was told by that 'National Authority's top training person that the money so gleaned subsidised the Quality Control visits they made - these in addition to the major OFSTED Inspections, and internal QA processes that ran continuously.

In my time there, and in the memory of my long-term predecessor, not once had anyone from the RYA ever looked in, inspected, offered constructive comment, made a suggestion, or given any form of pedagogical support. Now, I knew they drove past quite frequently, on route elsewhere. And there were times one would have welcomed some helpful or encouraging input - even just a "we know you're there, and it seems to be going fine" kind of message.

They got feedback forms from most of the course students, each and every year. I know, 'cos the half-page 'comments' went into an envelope and were posted by me to Their Eminences at Eastleigh/Hamble while the other, mirrored half-pages went into another envelope which was handed to the Head of School and used for annual performance reviews. They then were given back to me for filing........

One was also expected to attend an Instructors' Symposium every year, and the cost - including petrol - gave little change from £100. At each these gatherings we were subjected to 'the party line' on the latest theme, with everything coming 'top down' and virtually nothing going the other way. Much like the 1960's Communist Party Conferences in Moscow and Beijing. "If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you...." Hence the debacle of the first-issued Electronic Chart Plotter CD-ROM.....

Almost everything which was presented at these annual gatherings could more economically have been distributed on paper. I have little doubt that nothing has changed in the last couple of years.

A week ago, I received another invite to attend such a gathering, and I'd been asked in my local if I couldn't run another course locally. so I phoned the National Authority's plush new HQ, to explore the current world of Shorebased Coursing Instruction. "It'll cost you £75 for RYA Recognition each year. Only then will you be permitted to buy Student Study Packs. You'll need to hire a suitable room, a whiteboard, acquire some PCs to demo the software on, and advertise what you're doing somehow. You'll probably need Liability Insurance, and maybe a projector and screen......." And so it went on.

I say again - the RYA is a business. It's not a charity. However, it depends on the efforts of many hundreds of individuals - each seeking 'to put something back in' to sailing - to make it function. More and more does it seem that what is wanted today by this highly-profitable monopoly is not so much of one's time and energy, but rather more of one's disposable income.

My Head of Centre echoed the words of the College Principal in asking just what value-added-for-money the College and its students got from the RYA as a National Awarding Body, compared with that provided by other Awarding Bodies such as OCR and EdExcel. There wasn't a comfortable answer.... and still isn't.


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[ QUOTE ]
Why does it need renewing when other nationalities give a certificate for life?
Mine are Swedish,no probs.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is an EU regulation, but not one that every country "enforces". Nearly all certificates these days, be they gun licenses or ICCs or badger poking certificates tend to have a life of 5 years ( apart from driving licenses ). I think it was originally brought in as an anti-fraud measure. You'll probably find that our wonderful civil service changed the word "should" to "must" like they usually do with EU regulations.
 
Is the ICC 5 years? I thought it was 3?

I looked at mine the other day and realised that the expiry date was the same as the date of issue. I presume it lasts longer than that anyway!

I think the ICC can be replaced by paying the same admin cost you initially paid again, I've no experience of an RYA issued cert though.

Im about to start an offshore yachtmaster 'recognised' by the RYA. Should I be wary of more of these sort of problems? I dont think the RYA have any real input other than some of the preprescribed course material, but I'll wait and see
 
it lasts for 5 years and costs 39 pounds to renew,the rya will send you a reminder 2 months before expiry,they are the only ones who can renew it.free if you are a member.
 
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