Access to the SRC knowledge is limited which doesn’t encourage regular refreshing of knowledge – life-long learning. Keeping the SRC skills up-to-date is crucial as emergencies at sea rarely happen. This knowledge and skills should be refreshed regulary for ensuring your safety and that of your crew.
It is for this reason we started with the development of a SRC course using e-learning technology with the purpose that:
- the access to the SRC course should be free of charge,
- the SRC course should include real-life animation of GMDSS communication device operation (and conveying to the learner how such a device operates),
- the SRC course should include GMDSS communication device simulators (putting a learner into an active role - instead of just answering questions, the learner actively practices and verifies their knowledge on a simulator).
Our first course was only concerned with the VHF radio system. It was developed in 2005 and it was called "VHF GMDSS course". Initially, it was only available in Slovenian. It was very popular in its native Slovenia, that it was translated into English at the end of 2005.
Meanwhile, we started a European project called "EGMDSS" with the aim of upgrading our VHF GMDSS course to an SRC course with translation into 8 languages. At the beginning of 2006, we applied to the European Union Leonardo da Vinci Community Vocational Training Action Programme call for pilot projects with 11 partners from 9 countries. In August 2006, our "EGMDSS" project was successfully approved for EU funding.
The SRC course that you will attend is the result of 3 years work by the Spinaker d.o.o. company. All partners involved in participation through the EU funded part of the project have been involved for 18 months.
In early 2008, VHF & Chartplotter Training (a division of Moher Technologies Ltd) was appoint Irish editor, adapting the course for the Irish market.
Since then, the course has been gradually refined by VHF & Chartplotter Training to become the fully localised tool, which it is today.