Electro technical cadet
When you finish your training, you’ll have internationally recognized qualifications
What you can expect
The task of looking after electrical and electronic systems falls into two categories: planned maintenance and reactive fault-finding and resolution. There may be more fault-finding and resolution required on older ships. With both types of work, you’ll learn on the job, often dealing with cutting-edge technology.
Over time, you’ll get exposure to machinery and systems that you’re unlikely to get elsewhere. Remember that many of the systems are so advanced that there is no manual replacement for them. That makes you and your skills very important indeed. As vessels become more sophisticated, your role will only become more significant.
Electro technical cadets usually work as part of a very small team. In fact, you’re likely to be the only electro technical cadet on the boat. That means you’ll have a lot of responsibility – but also the chance to explore a wide range of technology, issues and challenges that electrical engineers in other fields won’t.
You’ll learn to maintain and repair all the electrical and electronic equipment, installations and machinery on board a ship. These include:
- Electrical generating plant
- Electronic / automated control systems
- Bridge navigational equipment
- Radio communications control
As a cadet on one of our programmes, you'll spend the first phase at nautical college learning about the following:
- Workshop skills training
- Marine engineering principles for Electro Technical Officers (ETOs)
- Engineering science
- Marine electrics
- Electrical power systems
- Electrical legislation and management
- Marine auxiliaries
- Further mathematics
- Electro-mechanical plant operation and diagnostics
- Electronic principles and systems
- Instrumentation and control systems maintenance
- Electronic navigation systems
- Electrical machines
- Navigation systems fault diagnostics
- Radio communication engineering
You'll then spend time at sea getting practical, hands on experience.
After that, it's back to dry land for some classroom based learning. We'll teach you about more complex areas such as:
- Marine law and management
- Cargo contracts and port operations
- Handling incidents such as collisions and groundings
For the next stage of training, you'll need your sea legs again.
The final stage involves three more months of college followed by academic and oral exams.
Qualifications
When you finish the training, you’ll have the following internationally recognized qualifications:
- A UK foundation degree in marine electrical and electronic engineering.
- A UK Marine Electro-Technical Officer (METO) ‘certificate of competency’ (STCW A-III/6 OOW) from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
Once you’re trained and qualified, you’ll be ready to apply for a permanent post as an electro technical officer on one of our ships.
