FAQs

STCW certificates are valid for 5 years*

The Global Wind Organisation (GWO) is a non-profit industry body founded by wind turbine manufacturers and owners for the purpose of reducing the risk of injury within the industry through the development of safety standards and common procedures.

The standard put forward by the GWO are designed to reflect the risks technicians face at work.

The training courses developed by GWO include Basic Safety Training (BST) standard and the Basic Technical Training (BTT) Standard.

GWO training is carried out by GWO certified training providers such as The Maritime Skills Academy in partnership with HART Training.

Smart casual clothing.  You will receive joining instructions which will mention anything else you need to bring i.e. swimming shorts/costume for the pool elements. We will provide safety boots, coveralls and other safety wear depending on which course you are attending.

That depends on the course.  Each course listed on our website will have a section for prerequisites.

Yes, providing you have successfully passed, you will be given your certificate to take with you.

Courses usually start at 09:00hrs and finish approx. 17:00hrs, however once you have booked onto a course you will receive full joining instructions.

This depends on the course you take as per the Manila amendments 2010 or GWO standards.  If the course needs to be revalidated this will be mentioned on the individual course page.

The majority of the courses you will be observed throughout the course by the instructor.  Some courses will require a written test at the end of the course. 

16 years with no upper age.  However some courses can be physically demanding and you will need to complete a fitness declaration prior to the course taking place.

Yes through charities and marine associations that have schemes in place.  Maritime Education Foundation (MEF) and The Marine Society offer sponsorship and grants to seafarers if you meet the eligible criteria.

The MSA does not recruit but we can point you in the direction of the Viking Crew team and ask you to register online or call in and speak with one of the team.  But no job can ever be guaranteed but it can look favourable to companies if you already hold the required certification.  

We don’t on site – but there are a number of different hotels in the local area. We can assist with booking them as we have corporate rates with breakfast included. This can be booked online with the course.

We are on the South coast of England with two locations in Dover and Portsmouth. Both centres offer a large portfolio of maritime courses

The Maritime Skills Academy (MSA Dover), Beechwood Business Park, Menzies Road, Dover, Kent, CT16 2FG

The Maritime Skills Academy (MSA Solent) Building 2000, North Harbour, Cosham, Portsmouth, PO6 3FQ

Viking and the MSA has the following accreditation’s:

• Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) ISO9001
• Maritime and Coastguard Accredited Course Provider
• Professional Yachting Association (PYA)
• MNTB Recognised Training Centre

The Maritime Skills Academy / Viking  is one of the few commercially run Marlin’s Approved Test Centres in the UK that is able to test competency of spoken English language ability in line with the rigorous standards of Marlins. We offer the following English tests at a cost of £78 (incl. VAT) per test.
– ISF Marlins Test of Spoken English (TOSE)
– Marlin’s Spoken English Assessment for Cruise Ship Staff (SPEACS)
For more information get in touch with our team.