About this course
This programme has been designed for ratings who have been working at sea with a ratings licence (accepted by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)); have completed a College Action Plan (issued by an MCA approved centre); have completed an MNTB Training Record Book (TRB); and who are ready to compete the necessary training to obtain an EOOW (III/1) Certificate of Competency (CoC).
The programme has been created to support the Experienced Seafarer route to qualification described in MSN 1857 (M+F) - Amendment 1.
What you'll study
Candidates on this programme will complete the mandatory MCA-approved Workshop Skills course in addition to receiving support towards completing the General Engineering Science A and B, and the Controls and Engineering knowledge examinations run by IAMI on behalf of the MCA.
MCA Workshop Skills
This course is a mandatory part of the MCA’s EOOW programme and gives candidates an appreciation of a range of critical engineering workshop skills including the use and care of hand tools, measuring equipment, drilling machines, centre lathes, vertical milling machines, off-hand grinding machines and welding equipment. The programme then advances to cover maintenance skills, assembly skills and electrical/electronic practice.
General Engineering Science A and B
The General Engineering Science A and B exams have been designed to meet the minimum requirements of the underpinning knowledge required to be awarded a CoC. This is an external examination run by IAMI on behalf of the MCA.
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The Engineering Science A exam covers Mechanics and Naval Architecture, and has a 2-hour duration.
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The Engineering Science B exam cover Thermodynamics, Hydrostatics and Electricity, and has a 2-hour duration.
Engineering Knowledge and Controls
The Engineering Knowledge exams have been designed as part of the MCA approach to competency assessment, ensuing that candidates have the operational and safety knowledge to work safely onboard. The Engineering Knowledge Syllabus is broken into sections which are represented in the Engineering Knowledge Exam.
How to request an action plan (programme prerequisites)
To register with us on the Experienced Seafarer Route, you must apply to have an action plan completed and MNTB Training Record Book (TRB) issued. To do this, you must:
- Have completed 24 months’ seagoing service on merchant ships of at least 350 kW (Engine Room seagoing service consisting of cleaning duties only will not be accepted).
- Hold either:
- An Engine Watch Rating Certificate STCW regulation III/4; or
- A Marine Engine Operator Licence (MEOL); or
- A Senior Marine Engine Operator Licence (SMEOL).
- Hold basic STCW safety training certificates:
- Hold a valid ENG1 (medical fitness certificate) or MCA accepted equivalent.
To apply for you action plan you should send the above documents to the Admissions Team at admissions@solent.ac.uk
Please note that you will need to pay a non-refundable fee of £250 for your documentation to be reviewed and where necessary, an action plan to be generated. This fee also covers your payment for an MNTB TRB to be posted to your home address.
Once an action plan has been created, you must complete an additional 9 months’ seagoing service in merchant ships of at least 750 kW, which includes 6 months engaged in watchkeeping or UMS duties, where you must complete your MNTB TRB and gather evidence of completing each task (known as the operations workbook).
Once you have completed the above steps, you will be eligible to apply for this programme.
Additional prerequisites
The additional prerequisites for achieving an Officer of the Watch CoC can be found in MSN 1857 (M+F) - Amendment 1.
International students must also hold an appropriate English language qualification at IELTS 4.0 or equivalent.
Course dates
Monday 1 September 2025 – Friday 20 February 2026
Monday 5 January 2026 – Friday 5 June 2026
Monday 13 April 2026 – Friday 2 October 2026
Course fee
£8,500
This package fee, which is designed to support self-sponsoring candidates, includes the IAMI exam preparation courses, MCA orals preparation and Workshop Skills course. Please note that it does not include external examination fees. Examinations may be booked here.
