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Adopted: 26 June 2015
Date Filed: 11 August 2015
Pursuant to Republic Act No. 10635 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), and the 1978 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for Seafarers, as amended, the following policies, rules and regulations are hereby adopted:

1. OBJECTIVES

.1	To prescribe policies, rules and regulations on the accreditation of Assessment Centers (ACs) for the conduct of Theoretical examination and Practical assessment in compliance to provisions for the issuance of STCW Certificates;
.2	To implement the applicable provisions of Regulation I/6 “Training and Assessment” and Regulation I/8 “Quality Standards” of the 1978 STCW Convention, as Amended, on the assessment of competence of seafarers;

2. COVERAGE:

This Circular shall apply to all Maritime Institutions applying for accreditation as Assessment Centers in the conduct of Theoretical examination and Practical assessment for the issuance of STCW Certificates.

3. DEFINITION OF TERMS

For purposes of this Circular, in addition to terms defined under STCW Circular 2013-01, and other relevant STCW circulars, including their subsequent amendments, the following terms shall be defined as follows:

“Assessment Center (AC)” refers to a maritime institution recognized and approved by MARINA to conduct the Theoretical examination and Practical assessment for issuance of STCW Certificates.

“ No human intervention” refers to a theoretical examination system wherein questions are randomly selected from a data bank of questionnaires.

4. GENERAL PROVISIONS

.1	Theoretical examination and Practical assessment for the issuance of STCW certificates shall only be conducted by MARINA accredited ACs.
.2	Institutions intending to seek accreditation as an ACs must present a documentary evidence that the conduct as ACs is covered in the Articles of Incorporation approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or nature of business in case of DTI Registered entities.
.3	The ACs shall ensure that a qualified and full-time MARINA-accredited assessor/s is employed and present during the conduct of assessment.
.4	The ACs shall conduct familiarization on the use of the simulator to be used for the practical assessment prior to the start of an assessment exercise.
.5	The ACs shall adhere to the procedures and policies of Examination and Assessment Division of STCW Office.
.6	All simulators to be used for assessment shall comply with the simulator performance standards as prescribed in Section I/12 of the STCW Code.

 


5. SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

.1	ACs shall employ full-time MARINA-accredited assessor to be present during the conduct of examination and assessment;
.2	ACs must have a quality standard system in the conduct of Theoretical examination and Practical assessment including qualification and experience of assessors;
.3	The conduct of Theoretical examination system must be of no human intervention;
.4	The system shall be able to independently assess specific competences mentioned in the corresponding STCW circulars;
.5	The system must be able to randomly choose questions and is able to rearrange the options without interference to the proper answer;
.6	The system shall allow the candidate to freely choose competences as applied;
.7	The system shall be equipped with adequate security measures to prevent unauthorized access to database of questions
.8	The system must be automated to implement the 3-1 and 3-3 rule for theoretical examination;
.9	The system must be isolated from internet access.
.10	Access to the system for the purpose of uploading, validation and deactivation of assessment questions shall be given to the following:
	.10.1	Chairman of the corresponding Board of Examiner;
	.10.2	Member of the corresponding Board of Examiner, in charge of the specific competency; and
	.10.3	Authorized Maritime Education and Training Standards Supervisor
.11	The system must be capable of test item analysis, and the procedures for validation shall be stated in the quality manual of the AC concerned.

6. REQUIREMENTS FOR FILING OF APPLICATION FOR ACCREDITATION

.1	A formal application duly accomplished application form supported by the following valid documents:
	1.1	Letter of application signed by the President/Owner or authorized representative of the AC;
	1.2	Certified True Copy of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Registration Certificate and Articles of Incorporation for corporation/ partnership or Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Registration Certificate for sole proprietorship;
	1.3	Company Profile (A short narrative regarding the company, the company’s officials and their updated resumes with colored head photographs including the organization structure);
	1.4	Business Permit;
	1.5	Fire Safety Inspection Certificate;
	1.6	Quality Standard System Certification;
	1.7	Certificate of Ownership of the lot and building or notarized contract of lease
.2	Proof of ownership of the equipment;
.3	Floor Plan of the AC;
.4	Set of Guidelines and Procedures in the administration of Theoretical examination and Practical assessment as per applicable STCW circulars;
.5	Affidavit of Undertaking signed by the President or Owner of the MAC stating in substance that the AC shall perform all duties and responsibilities of an accredited AC as enumerated in Item 10 hereof and that all documents submitted are authentic;
.6	Specimen signatures of the MAC’s authorized signatories;
.7	List of Assessors and copies of certificate of accreditation.

7. BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR ACCREDITATION

.1	Structural Facilities
	.1.1	Administrative Office
	.1.2	Assessors’ Office
	.1.3	Registration Area
	.1.4	Reception Area
	.1.5	Records Section
	.1.6	Briefing and debriefing Area
	.1.7	Holding Area - Serves as waiting area prior to the conduct of the Theoretical examination and Practical examination. Preferably, located adjacent to the assessment room.
	.1.8	Comfort Rooms
	.1.9	Real-time Audio and Video Monitoring System and Facilities – Theoretical examination and Practical examination area must be provided with appropriate installation of real-time audio and video monitoring technology that can be recorded and accessed remotely by the Administration at any given time.
.2	Assessors’ must be certificated as per IMO Model course 3.12
.3	Theoretical Examination and Practical Assessment area must be conducive to examination and assessment procedures;
.4	Theoretical examination system must be of no human intervention.

8. CERTIFICATE OF ACCREDITATION

.1	A Provisional Authority valid for a period of six (6) months shall be issued to an applicant AC found compliant with all the requirements for the purpose of determining its capability to conduct assessment.
.2	A Certificate of Accreditation, valid for three (3) years, shall be issued only to ACs which has demonstrated the capability to conduct assessment

9. CONDUCT OF INSPECTION AND CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

An inspection shall be conducted prior to the issuance of Certificate of Accreditation.

.1	The STCW Office Inspection Team shall be composed of the following:
	.1.1	Team Leader – Maritime Education Training and Standards Supervisor (METSS)
	.1.2	Members
		.1.2.1	One Board of Examiner, as applicable
		.1.2.2	One staff from the Accreditation Division; and
		.1.2.3	One staff from the Examination & Assessment Division;
.2	Any non-conformity found at the time of inspection shall be noted and made known to the authorized officials of the applicant during the Closing Meeting.
.3	Noted deficiencies during the inspection must be rectified within thirty (30) working days, to be reckoned from the date of receipt of official inspection report. Once rectified, applicant must submit proof of compliance to the STCWO and request for a re-inspection. Failure to rectify noted deficiencies within the prescribed period, said application will be nullified.

10. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN ASSESSMENT CENTER (AC)

The accredited AC shall be responsible for the overall conduct of theoretical and practical assessment. As such, it is the duty of the AC to:

.1	Ensure that all candidates, prior to the conduct of examination, meet the requirements for theoretical examination and practical assessment as per corresponding STCW Circular;
.2	Transmit electronically the list of candidates to the EAD and Surveillance Division one working day prior to the conduct of theoretical examination and practical assessment;
.3	Transmit electronically all the results of assessment to the EAD, immediately and not exceeding 24 hours from the completion of assessment;
.4	Transmit electronically a Summary Report of Assessment on the first working day of every month;
.5	Report to the Surveillance Division any irregularity in the conduct of the theoretical examination and practical assessment with a statement of facts detailing the whole incident and supported by documentary evidence;
.6	Ensure the integrity and honesty of the personnel and officials involved in the conduct of theoretical examination and practical assessment and adhere to the fair practice in conducting assessment with the ultimate aim of producing highly competitive seafarers;
.7	Ensure that the Management, Staff, including the designated Assessors of an AC must not be related by affinity or consanguinity up to the 4 th degree to any of the candidates;
.8	Ensure that all equipment used in the conduct of the theoretical examination and practical assessment are well-maintained and are in good working condition.
.9	Ensure that examination and assessment instruments are approved by the administration.
.9	Provide full cooperation with the Administration on monitoring or similar activities by providing all the necessary documents and making available all personnel involved in the assessment for possible inquiry.
.10	Allow and cooperate for any unscheduled or unannounced inspections to be conducted by the Administration.
.11	Ensure that the required number of assessors are present during the conduct of theoretical examination and practical assessment, and strictly adhere and comply with the guidelines stated in this Circular and all other applicable provisions in the Implementing Rules and Regulations for the RA 10635.

11. PENALTIES CLAUSE

Any violation of the provisions of this Circular and other related MARINA issuances shall be governed and sanctioned by the provisions of the IRR of RA 10635 and MARINA Circular No. 2013-05 including any amendment or addendum thereof, as may be promulgated by the Administration.

12. SCHEDULE OF FEES

The schedule of fees, penalties and fines shall be provided in a separate circular.

13. REPEALING CLAUSE:

STCW Circular 2015-02 and any provision of existing MARINA and STCWO Circulars, rules and regulations, or of any other Philippine government agency related to assessment, are hereby superseded, repealed or amended accordingly.

14. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE

Should any provision or part of this Circular be declared by any competent authority to be invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions or parts hereof shall remain in full force and effect and shall continue to be valid and effective.

15. EFFECTIVITY


This STCW Circular shall take effect immediately on the day of its publication.

Manila, Philippines, 26 June 2015.

Submitted:

(SGD) CAPT. HERMINIO P. ESTANIEL JR.
OIC Executive Director

Approved:

(SGD) MAXIMO Q MEJIA JR, PhD
Administrator