Towards safety improvement: implementation and assessment of new standards of competence for Electro-Technical Officers on ships

The paper deals with education of ship engineers as an integral part of maritime policy in global shipping. The central problem, how to reconcile technological advancement with training en route to improving safety, is defined. A complete conceptual model for solving a central question is formulated and described. At the beginning, a short analysis of technological advances and the need for training is presented. Next, the basic components of conceptual model, including implementation and assessment of new standards of competences for Electro-Technical Officers in the wake of Maritime Education and Training (MET) development are discussed. A key point of the assessment procedure is focused on the formulation of criterion defining the impact of new standards on the given processes characterizing a professional carrier development of seafarers. These processes, which mean certification process and recruitment of candidates to seafarer profession, are strongly linked with and influenced on MET development and improving the safety of shipping. Empirical application by pointing the Polish case study to the framework of conceptual model under consideration is shown and analysed. Finally, the future works as well as the concluding remarks are formulated and commented on.