Ok, any interest in setting one up? I would be able to help. It would depend on what sort of format/model was wanted. You could have a purely open membership driven association or you could look at developing a self-regulatory assurance based system whereby potential members had to demonstrate competency before they were allowed to join. Then you would advertise this as the assurance of competence process for the industry - inevitably contractors would move toward accredited assurance for due diligence reasons. I have seen both (and other) types. IJUBOA for example (International Jack-up Barge Operators' Assoc) is currently an open membership - anyone can join. They are now looking at whether they need to set some standard for membership acceptance due to a number of unscrupulous vessel operators using untrained crews. Also I worked with the International Institute of Marine Surveyors to create an accredited CMID vessel inspector scheme. This was because IMCA would let anyone use their CMID system for vessel safety inspections without checking their competence! The oil companies set up the OVID scheme in response. In terms of cost CMID is around £800 to join (including accreditation course) and then £190 after year two for renewal. This is not a money spinner but covers overhead of scrutiny of a candidate's portfolio of work and quals initially (by peer group of surveyors) and then scheme management costs (2 x part time employees etc.). How about the Autonomous and Remote Vehicle Technicians Association (ARVTA)? What do you get - industry recognition of competent techs, a voice to speak on the collective behalf, greater sense of professionalism, development of unified career pathways and of course an accreditation/certification controlled by the technician community rather than a training provider. Any thoughts?
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