December 2023 Update

Consultation Group 1 – Education, Policy & Technical and Sub-groups, Sub-group 1.2: Modernisation of Curriculum and examination and Sub-group 1.3: Career Pathways 

Consultation Group 1 is tasked with reforming and modernising the syllabuses, training, and assessment for seagoing qualifications for Nautical, Engineering and Electro-Technical qualifications of all grades. The group is also tasked with exploring other maritime qualifications which can be offered to new entrants as an option along with the seafaring qualifications and the subsequent career paths available. 

Sub-group 1.2 has completed the review of the syllabus and delivered the modules to MCA approved Nautical Colleges. We currently expect that these will take approximately 18 months for Nautical Colleges to implement. 

The next step for the group will be to review the assessment strategies and the Training Record Books, which are expected to be completed by July 2024. 

Journey4 Ltd.’s final Career Map and Report were delivered to Sub-group 1.3 on 10 November 2023. In this report they suggested the Career Mapping process should be split into three phases: 

Phase 1: Initial Career Map with agreed gaps and report, delivered by Journey4 Ltd on 10 November 2023. 

Phase 2: Fill in gaps and confirm descriptor through a “call for evidence”. 

Phase 3: Deliver an interactive online version at a date to be decided. 

The decision has been taken to incorporate phases 2 and 3 into the wider piece of work being undertaken by MUK to create an industry Careers and Skills Matrix. Sub-Group 1.3 will provide all the resources from phase one and support the MUK programme as required.  

As such, Sub-Group 1.3 has been closed until further notice.  

Consultation Group 2 – Funding  

Consultation Group 2 remains in place but is currently postponed. 

Consultation Group 4 - Communications 

 This group continues to support the wider work of the individual consultation groups, including survey and campaign design. 

Consultation Group 4 prepared a new user-friendly landing page for MUK website; created and released a press statement regarding the creation of the Cadet Welfare Support Group; and established a communications plan to support Consultation Group 1, which has already been used to announce the completion of the syllabus review and will continue to support their further work.   

This group has also finalised a project brief to procure a consultancy to complete discovery work for a National Awareness Campaign. This brief has been escalated to the Oversight Committee and work has begun to secure funding for a discovery phase of the project.   

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the programme, via the following email ctandm.enquiries@mcga.gov.uk