The cadets SUR-members got «Watch Rating Certificates»

The graduation ceremony has been held at the Maritime State University named after Admiral G.I. Nevelskoy, and the cadets of the 13th company of the Faculty of Navigation and Communications got their "Watch Rating Certificates". Among those who successfully completed the course were members of the shop organization of Primary Organization of Vladivostok of the Seafarers' Union of Russia at the  Maritime State University named after admiral G.I. Nevelskoy. The profession of a Watch Rating is one of the most crucial on board any vessel, it requires not only high level of physical fitness, but deep knowledge, responsibility and teamwork skills either. For five months, the cadets studied the basics of navigation and pilot charts and mastered marine electrical engineering. 

- The training was mainly in distant format, but included lectures and practical classes on safety of life at sea and electrical engineering. The theoretical material was posted on the university website, and the tasks were completed distantly with strict deadlines. One of the highlights was a conversation with acting captains, which was not just a knowledge test, but a valuable experience of communicating with professionals, - Yaroslav Kolobov, member of the shop organization of SUR Primary Organization of Vladivostok at the  Maritime State University named after admiral G.I. Nevelskoy said. 

During the training course, the cadets not only became familiar with shipping signals and navigation lights, but also practiced survival drills and medical care. 

- We were taught how to act in emergency situations: apply bandages, fix fractures, stop bleeding. Earlier we practiced skills in classrooms, and this was invaluable experience, which will come in handy not only at sea, but in life also, - a cadet and a SUR-member Mikhail Kupchenko said. 

At the end of the training, the cadets were passing an exam consisting of computer testing and an interview, and those who passed it successfully got the coveted certificates. 

- These certificates give the right to work as a watch rating, which means that you can be employed as a full-fledged crew member, not a cadet during a shipboard training. This is both experience and good earnings, - Yaroslav Kolobov added. 

By the way, many cadets of the shop trade union organization have already managed to try their hand at practice - for example, on the sailing training ship "Nadezhda" and the icebreaker "Captain Khlebnikov". There, future sailors mastered the repair of shipboard spaces, studied international conventions and codes, as well as work with navigational instruments on the bridge. 

- Now we are waiting for the next step in our career: I study under the Sovcomflot-sponsored training program and will soon go on shipboard training, most likely, on board a tanker. And this is exactly what I dreamed about, - Kupchenko noted. The SUR emphasizes that obtaining the qualification of a watch rating is only the first step in a maritime career. But as the experience of previous graduates shows, the path of true maritime specialists begins with such small victories. 

Photo: https://www.msun.ru/