Yachtmaster NVQ

[claymore]

I have a whole raft of assessor qualifications - some real, some made up and a couple bought from the University of Rangoon.
I feel eminently qualified to assess potential Yachtmasters undertaking an NVQ and I am about to propose this qualification to the Great and the Good at the RYA.
Before submitting my proposal it normal practice in the heady world of Academe that one does a bit of market research and seeks advice and guidance from industry experts as to the content and assessment methodology one is proposing.
I feel that a good start would be the skippers ability to make an assessor feel welcome by producing a cafetiere of fresh organic coffee with a toasted teacake - which really ought to have copious quantities of butter on it.
This I feel would be a good start to any assessment and should simulate the 'real world' well.
I'm not really sure what I should be looking for in terms of leaving a pontoon.
All qualifications of this type should be there to act as an encouragement to people and so I feel it a little harsh if the candidate was heavily penalised for losing a fender - perhaps a system where losing one fender is credit, losing 2 is a pass whilst perhaps losing three should be a 'candidate not yet achieved' - then again - should one really be assessing this based on a percentage of the number of fenders that there are.
Hitting other boats in marinas is another area which could do with some assessment guidelines. I think a small dink where no-one is on the other boat should not be penalised. Conversely - perhaps hooking davits around and removing a GPS antenna ought to mean that 'not yet achieved' should be entered into the candidates assessment log.

The benefit to this is that a candidate can be assessed for the section for which they think they have some level of competence - giving them time to practice the bits they don't do well yet similarly if a candidate makes a bit of a nonsense of one area of an assessment - such as man-overboard for example - then perhaps it could be reassessed when the candidate has practiced their skills and got them up to a reasonable level. This would also be of help to the candidate in that if they didn't like the look of the conditions -they could choose which areas to be assessed in on the day, leaving the man overboard bit to a time when the seas are calm and there are no nasty gusts about.
Your comments would be greatly appreciated and if anyone has a particular are that they think could be regarded as a specialism - I could get you assessed as an assessor - we could do that over the phone - and then you could be on the panel.

 

[Superstrath]

Can I be assessed for assessing evening shore-trip conduct, please?

Alistair

 

[Twister_Ken]

Cher professor.

What utter tosh. Everybody knows you need no quailifications to go to sea, except that of having your bank account examined and found sufficient by a competent authority, such a Croesus Yacht Brokers, Marinas'r'Us, or Volvo's spare parts division.

NVQ indeed!

 

[ParaHandy]

you know, that was exactly what sprung to mind. A short orienteering type section to the NVQ where the candidate might be assessed on his ability to strike overland to reach a pub, for example. This achieves a number of things eg:
a) leadership and organisation including anchor chucking test - with the crew in tow the candidate leads off having harvested most of the seaweed on the bottom with his anchor whilst mentioning the nutritional benefits of Omega 4888 in the weed. This earns the candidate 3 stars
b) disorientation and leadership test on the return journey - after a skinfull the candidate's wife, his friend and his friend's wife remonstrate that the direction the candidate has chosen is wrong. If the candidate opines that he knew all along he was going in the wrong direction then he should be awarded an "improver" qualification. Any sulking and muttering automatically disqualifies the candidate.

 

[Evadne]

So, whit dus "NVQ" stand fer then?

 

[beancounter]

I've been certified at NVQ Level 2 in unblocking heads...Given how far back the asssessor stood, I guess this would be classed as Distance Learning.

 

[Superstrath]

Marks off for falling on yer 'arris on the way back from the TnT, rolling down the hill accumulating a thick coating of glaur then traipsing through the boggy bit before forgetting which bit of Puildobrain you left the dibghy hidden in.

Or would that gain a credit?

 

[twisterkai]

Non Valid Qualification.

 

[PCUK]

A qualification for the unqualifiable.

 

[tazzle]

Yep - perhaps we can put a course together and apply for ESF funding; say,

Unit 1 - Communicate using equipment and visual means
Candidates should be able to make contact in a crowded bar using mobile phones, use appropriate hand signals to order alcoholic refreshments when ambient sound levels exceed 85Db(a) and be familiar with a range of visual hand signals in common use ashore
Unit 2 - Respond to emergencies ashore
Candidates should be familiar with the correct action to take in the event of (i) a member of the party coming ashore without cash or bank cards (ii) a pub or restaurant being unexpectedly closed (iii) members of the party exhibiting signs of nausea or bileousness (iv) members of the party being unable to locate a suitable Water Closet with public access
Unit 3 - Take charge of rescue operations
Candidates must demonstrate a range of skills in extricating other members of the party from violent altercations, from the clutches of predatory and / or mercenary persons ashore, from contact with members of local police forces, door security personnel or premises owners claiming trespass and / or damages. NB weapons may not be used by candidates in this module.

...........

 

[ParaHandy]

oh indeed, i forgot to mention the dinghy engine starting NVQ. (This follows the "has the engine got enough petrol" NVQ) The candidate, with the bows pointing into a F6, must stand up (in order to get a better swing at the starting rope) in the rear of the dinghy whilst almost tipping the hapless crew out. This gets a "merit" 5 star with distinction ....

 

[Twister_Ken]

Ref the dinghy engine starting module.

Are points awarded or taken off for removing passengers' teeth with an assiduously applied cord-tugging-elbow?

 

[KREW2]

Another good thing to do would be to get rid of confusing terms, ie Halyards, Sheets, Guys, Outhauls, and Topping lift these should all come under the collective name Ropes. This will guarantee a tick in the correct box when answering multichoice questions.

 

[ParaHandy]

This YM NVQ finance section also has reference to molars such as when the mooring fees have to be paid eg the wallet section "extracting hen's teeth" ....

 

[Evadne]

Combatant crew:
Candidates must show an ability to get to the bar to order the first round without forgetting whether Tarquin wanted ice in his Pimms or Sheila wanted gin in her Stella. They should also be able to lend support to the skipper, specifically when navigating him across a variety of decks to his boat, without tripping and falling into a strange forecabin or incurring the wrath of more than two other skippers. Bonus points for being able to prepare bacon butties when hung over, or Fray Bentos stew in a F7 or above.

Dazed Kipper:
Candidates must be able to find and navigate the harbour entrance without referring to the gps or other electronic aids. Points will be deducted for each set of 5 blasts of the ferry's foghorn incurred. Once out of the harbour they will be required to demonstrate: anchoring without disturbing the sunbather on the foredeck, tacking without spilling the gin and keeping the instructor's glass topped up.

Custard Kipper
Must be able to find and navigate the harbour entrance from seaward without referring to the AA road map. At least one passage to include the calculation of tidal height from a secondary port, or the ability to reverse off a mudbank under power. They should also be able to demonstrate correct use for a Mayday transmission of the VHF or a G3 mobile phone or a burning oildrum on the foredeck. Candidates should also be able to shout conflicting instructions to the crew when coming alongside teh wrong visitors' pontoon. Points can also be earned for the ability to calculate the tip per crewmember in the Cafe de Paris.

Grotmaster:
This has been outsourced to Grotmasters Inc. c/o Scuttlebutt forum.

The qualification of Grotmaster Notion has no written exam. It also has no oral exam, but will be awarded to anyone who can remember who they are after returning from a Scuttlebutt Cherbourg trip, or where they are when halfway through a Chentleman's cruise. Points will be deducted for excessive sleeping en route, incorrect use of the holding tank or trying to walk to the boat without using the pontoon.

 

[claymore]

Hmm
I'm not sure that the candidates will be able to understand this so you need to develop a more supportive form of words.
Learning outcomes need to be developed and a good starting point would be
"By the end of this module, the candidate will be able to..."
1)..................
2...................

and so on.
Then list your assessment methods and try to keep them varied. Good not to have too much writing but a Communications Level 1 Key Skill is eminently claimable from some of what you have suggested.
Perhaps a presentation might be a good way of the learner demonstrating their knowledge - A presentation regarding MOB recovery done confidently ought to give the assessor sufficient confidence to award a pass without having to resort to a practical demonstration - which the Candidate might not achieve and which also would be a more costly assessment method in terms of assessor time etc. Actually a powerpoint presentation emailed would do and that would mean that the assessor could carry that section out remotelywhich would be most cost-effective

 

[Superstrath]

[ QUOTE ]
oh indeed, i forgot to mention the dinghy engine starting NVQ.

[/ QUOTE ]

Gold star and bar for ending up lying in two inches of water, screaming, "I'm drowning, you bastids!"

 

[Evadne]

Aargh. Not "Death by Powerpoint"? I get enough of that at work. That, and meetings about meetings. But if that's how the training goes these days, it explains why managers are so keen on it.

But thanks for the pointers on the course requirements section. Call me an old cynic, but, all in all I think I still prefer the Ransome method; tho' we'd probably need to take out some sort of insurance to cover the deliberate drowning of duffers.

 

[Fill]

Absolutely right: I put down any success with examiners to plying them with large slices of Mrs Mate's excellent Dundee cake.

 

[duncan]

[ QUOTE ]
Sheila wanted gin in her Stella

[/ QUOTE ]

now we are getting somewhere - my kind o' crew.............