If you are to become an officer on a Superyacht someday, one of the essential certifications is the HELM certificate. HELM aims to teach the value of teamwork, participation, effective communication, and effectively manage and lead crew. Let’s understand the HELM courses in South Africa, their two types: HELM-O and HELM-M, and their importance in this article.
The Human Element, Leadership and Management (HELM) Courses in South Africa
The MCA-approved HELM courses aim at teaching candidates about teamwork, participation, collaboration and effective communications, effective management and distribution of workload and responsibilities, and managing manpower for efficient results.
Putting this in a practical and efficient analogy, the seafarers of a vessel are the components of one giant machine. Now, if the machine is not well-oiled and maintained, it will not produce effective and positive results. Several factors affect this, the prime one being bad management and miscommunication. So, the HELM course is the oil you are looking for that would keep the machine well-oiled and maintained without needing a full-fledged course in business management or business administration.
Applying the analogy, a superyacht crew needs to work in harmony. The HELM courses help the crew (usually masters or officers) understand how to maintain harmony and deliver effective results. Even though Entry-Level Deckhands do not require this course, we encourage you to take one for your benefit.
There are two levels to the HELM course. Let us talk about them one by one.
The HELM-O (Operational) Course
The MCA-approved HELM-O course is for the candidates who are:
- Officers in charge of a navigational watch on seagoing ships of 500GT or more, such as OOWs (STCW Regulation II/1);
- Officers in charge of an engineering watch in a manned engine room or as designated duty engineers in a periodically unmanned engine room (STCW Regulation III/1); or
- Electro-technical offers (STCW Regulation III/6).
The course primarily focuses on helping candidates understand how to control a vessel’s operation and safeguard seafarers onboard at the operational level.
This course aims to promote good human resource management values, human element values, effective resource management, and principles and practices of decision-making. Furthermore, this course also equips officers with the knowledge of international maritime conventions and recommendations, national regulations, and codes of practice and guidelines.
Note: The information for this section has been sourced from ECDIS.
The HELM-M (Management) Course
The MCA-approved HELM-M course is for the candidates who are:
- Masters and Chief Officer, Reg. II/2 (unrestricted);
- Chief and Second Engineer Reg. III/2 (unrestricted);
- Chief and Second Engineer Reg. III/3 (unrestricted);
- Master and Chief Officer (Yacht <3000 GT, Article IX / Reg. III/2);
- Yacht Engineer Y2 and Y1, SV conversions in MIN 642 (<9000 kW, Article IX / Reg. III/2);
- Master and Chief Officer, Reg. II/2 (limited to Standby, Seismic Survey and Oceanographic Research Vessels); or
- Chief Engineer Reg. III/2 (limited to Standby, Seismic Survey and Oceanographic Research Vessels).
This course focuses on harnessing a candidate’s management-level skills to help them understand how to control the operation of a ship and safeguard seafarers onboard. The nature of the course is practical, including numerous case studies, role-play scenarios, simulations, and team exercises.
Note: The information for this section has been sourced from ECDIS.
Final Words
The HELM courses are useful if you are aiming for promotions and climbing to managerial positions on a superyacht. You can take these HELM courses at any point in your career in South Africa. There are no prerequisites for these courses. However, for the HELM-M course, you will require the HELM-O certification. Furthermore, the management level course will also require some seagoing experience.
If you require any HELM course-related assistance but don’t know where to start, feel free to give us a call.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a Deckhand/Stewardess course in South Africa, Sail and Power SA can assist you. We are an RYA-accredited institution based in Cape Town. Kindly check our website or call us today for more information.