Competency and sniff test

[turtle]

Competency. It has a a value determined by the motivation of the entity offering the term. The client requires a level of competency in order to assure that personnel on the project are "certified" capable to perform their tasks safely and competently. Their arse is thus covered. The ROV company employs personnel to the client and has a dilemma. In order to get the contract he must supply documentation to the client of offered Personnel Competence. But here is his dilemma : Whatever level of competence he submits for a given employee he must pay that employee at that level. If he has an employee getting paid at Level B but the job requires a competence at Level A he can find the means to elevate the employee to the new competency level but must then pay him at the new rate. Employers use competency as a carrot and a stick. They can set an impossible standard to get certified at next level, thus keeping the pay rate for a given employee at current level. They can use the threat of "not signing the check off" as punishment or retribution. The award of competency (waive a requirement for example) can be a perc of the Good Ol Boy system or simply a need to fill a spot that satisfies the client requirement.

When things get busy and there is a need for agency personnel on a limited and temporary basis the positions that have been filled by "certified competent" personnel are often filled by personnel whose competency is verified only by the providing agency. hahahahahaha

A third party offering a "standard of competency" must be viewed with the profit motivation : By getting the industry to accept this standard the third party can then sell the means to attain the proposed standard of competency. This competency award is entirely dependent on testimony from others who, at the end of the day, are motivated to provide a signature for verification of a competency item for a variety of motivations — some less than altruistic.

Competency. When this word is used in the ROV industry, check the source and give a good sniff test. Unlike other technical professions — say commercial diving or airline pilot — the ROV biz has no requirement for an agreed upon standard of competency from a recognized authority.

[James McLauchlan]

Competency. When this word is used in the ROV industry, check the source and give a good sniff test. Unlike other technical professions — say commercial diving or airline pilot — the ROV biz has no requirement for an agreed upon standard of competency from a recognized authority.

Very true. This was something we tried to address years back by forming an ROV association which would have been such a body representing ROV personnel.
Unfortunately the person that approached me with the idea, assuring me that they would follow through, disappeared into the woodwork despite us give up a section of this site to allow for such a body to kick off. I even went as far as registering a domain name (which I paid for) and setting up a small CMS website. I wouldn’t carry the idea on as my hands were full enough running this site and earning a living!

Hopefully, one day something will come along as, to be honest, I don’t rest easy with the idea that the International Marine Contractors Association will gradually take over and make it their business to stamp the IMCA mark on everything ROV! There is a certain amount of inevitability about this though, because if nobody does anything by way of self help the IMCA will help themselves to that slice of the pie for sure.

[James McLauchlan]

Competency. When this word is used in the ROV industry, check the source and give a good sniff test. Unlike other technical professions — say commercial diving or airline pilot — the ROV biz has no requirement for an agreed upon standard of competency from a recognized authority.

Very true. This was something we tried to address years back by forming an ROV association (iROVa) which could have been such a body to represent ROV personnel.
Unfortunately the person that approached me with the idea, assuring me all the time that they would follow through, disappeared into the woodwork despite us give up a section of this site to allow for such a body to kick off. I even went as far as registering a domain name (irova.org which I paid for) and setting up a small CMS website. I couldn’t carry the idea on my own though as my hands were full enough running this site and earning a living!

Hopefully, one day something will come along as, to be honest, I don’t rest easy with the idea that the International Marine Contractors Association will gradually take over and make it their business to stamp the IMCA mark on everything ROV! There is a certain amount of inevitability about this though, because if nobody does anything by way of self help the IMCA will help themselves to that slice of the pie for sure.

[turtle]

Yeah…I remember James. We had high hopes. But the chance that there will be organization/impetus to give us a unified status is about the same as my odds of my winning Mr Congeniality 2013. The suggestion in the present missive is to provide a moment of ponder to any who strive to use the concept of "Competency" when seeking justification for equality/advancement/safety assurance/dayrate/warm fuzzies of "standardisation"/training accomplished.

Merry Christmas my friend, thanks for keeping the ball rolling on ROVWorld NEW LIFE! Rock on buddy

[Author]

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