Guidance on Assessor Training

IMCA C007 Rev. 2.1

April 2024
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) is the international trade association representing
offshore marine contractors, service companies, and the industry’s supply chain.

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the relevant Member belongs.

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IMCA C007 Rev. 2.1

Document designation: This document is categorised as Informative Guidance

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Version History
Date Reason Revision
April 2024 Document quality review – preface and layout updated; no change to content Rev. 2.1
March 2017 To expand on the scope of the document Rev. 2
April 2013 To add more information to the previous version Rev. 1
December 2000 Initial publication
Guidance on Assessor Training

Table of Contents

1 Scope .........................................................................................................................4
2 Assessors and Their Role ............................................................................................5
3 Assessor Training........................................................................................................6
3.1 Company Assessment Set-up and Systems .........................................................................6
3.1.1 Standards of Competence Being Assessed .............................................................6
3.1.2 Assessment Methods Being Used ...........................................................................6
3.1.3 Documents Used Within the Assessment Set-Up ...................................................6
3.1.4 Company Competence Assurance Systems ............................................................6
3.2 Assessment Process .............................................................................................................7
3.2.1 Planning Assessments .............................................................................................7
3.2.2 Conducting Assessments Using Different Methods................................................7
3.2.3 Recording And Reporting Assessment Decisions ....................................................7
3.2.4 Providing Feedback and Ongoing Support..............................................................7
3.3 Quality Assurance and Internal Verification ........................................................................8
4 Assessor Training Challenges ......................................................................................9
5 Providing Support and Advice ................................................................................... 10

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 Guidance on Assessor Training

1 Scope
This document aims to provide a checklist of the topics to be considered for inclusion in an assessor
training programme and the appropriate auditing arrangements for such programmes.

IMCA Competence Assurance & Assessment guidance, originally launched in January 1999 and
updated in 2003, 2009 and 2012, was designed to contribute to improved safety in the offshore
industry by providing an assurance framework for members to assure the competence of their safety-
critical personnel. Such is the nature of international or national health and safety legislation and
industry expectation, that personnel in safety-critical roles are now formally assessed on an
appropriately routine basis to ensure their competence is sustained and skill fade is minimised.

A competent workforce is more productive, operates with reduced risk, has shorter periods of
downtime and fewer injuries. At the same time, there is need for a practical but robust assessment
procedure to be in place against which the workforce’s skills, forethought and judgement can be
measured.

As employees receive training, they broaden their skill base, and then gain experience or attain more
professional knowledge through practical application of their skills. However, to counter skill fade and
the risk of acquiring bad or poor work practices there is a requirement to routinely assess, test or
examine both currency and competence against specific criteria based on job functions. Those
responsible for conducting professional competence assessments clearly require some direction,
guidance and training on how to carry out this responsibility equitably and consistently.

As part of the IMCA Competence Assurance & Assessment framework, it is recommended that
companies develop suitable auditing arrangements to ensure that assessors apply the assessment
criteria in a coherent and appropriate manner.

The IMCA Competence Assurance & Assessment framework employs a range of criteria including
certification and qualification processes, demonstrable experience, assessment of technical skills and
appropriate initial and refresher training.

The IMCA Competence Assessment & Assurance framework recommends that all safety-critical
personnel demonstrate that they have the required currency and competences for their specific job
function as set out in the documentation. This can be effectively done by work place assessors.

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Guidance on Assessor Training

2 Assessors and Their Role

The assessor should be a supervisor or manager, or other person approved by the company, with the
necessary professional qualification, knowledge and experience to be able to judge the competence
being assessed. In some fields, competence to carry out assessments may require specific statutory
qualifications (e.g. medical first aid assessments).

Some organisations employ or engage with specialist personnel such as training specialists or third
party assessors. The advice offered within this document focuses on the role and training requirements
of all assessors.

To carry out assessments successfully, both the person being assessed and the assessor need to be
familiar with the assessment process and what is required of them. The following points are normally
considered to be good practice for assessors and companies operating assessment processes as a part
of their competence assurance schemes. The assessor should:
 communicate with the job holder about the assessment process; this includes letting the job
holder know:
− about the standard of competence being assessed
− how the job holder will demonstrate competence against these standards, and
− how their competence will be documented
 ensure that activities used for evidence are at an appropriate level and not too basic or too
advanced for the position being assessed
 work with the person being assessed to gather and record evidence in line with the assessment
process being followed; in most cases this requires ‘on the job’ observation and assessment
 provide the person being assessed with clear and accurate feedback on any assessment
conducted
 be trained to carry out assessments and familiarised with company systems and procedures
relevant to the assessment process.

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 Guidance on Assessor Training

3 Assessor Training
IMCA does not approve or formally recognise any particular assessor training course or programme.
The type of training given to an assessor is for each IMCA member to determine. The guidance
provided below includes topics which could be contained in an assessor training programme. It is not
intended that this be used as a training document; rather it provides a checklist on topics the company
should consider for inclusion and companies should tailor their training programmes to meet their
specific need.

There are two main elements:

1) company assessment set-up and systems
2) assessment process.

3.1 Company Assessment Set-up and Systems

Training should include the following areas of the assessment set-up.

3.1.1 Standards of Competence Being Assessed

 Assessors should be familiarised with the standards of competence they are
assessing.

3.1.2 Assessment Methods Being Used

These should cover relevant direct and indirect methods of assessment that are being
used within the set-up:
 direct methods include observation, questioning, discussion and simulation
 indirect methods include witness testimony, examination of work
products/records, candidate reports and recognised prior learning (RPL) or
professional qualification.

3.1.3 Documents Used Within the Assessment Set-Up

 Completed examples of relevant documents should be provided so that those
being trained are clear about expectations and have a reference for completing
their first assessments.

3.1.4 Company Competence Assurance Systems

 Assessors should be familiarised with the policies, procedures and processes of
the company competence assurance system or scheme to which they are
working.

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Guidance on Assessor Training

3.2 Assessment Process

The company’s assessment process and procedures should be covered during the training and
should include the following areas.

3.2.1 Planning Assessments

 To identify opportunities and activities that are relevant to the standards of
competence.
 Depending on the type of work, to select the most appropriate method of
assessment.
 To determine how often a specific task demonstrating competence in a
particular area needs to be assessed.
 To identify sources of both direct and indirect evidence to ensure fair and
reliable assessment.
 Communicating with the person under assessment in a manner that ensures
they understand:
− what is being assessed
− when and where assessment is happening, and
− what will be involved in the assessment process.

3.2.2 Conducting Assessments Using Different Methods

 How to plan, use and record direct methods of assessment such as observation
and questioning.
 How to plan, use and record indirect methods of assessment such as witness
testimony, candidate reports, examination of work records and RPL.
 Using valid, fair, reliable and safe assessment methods.
 Ensuring evidence is credible.
 Making the decision (e.g. competent, not yet competent, insufficient evidence).
 What to do when evidence is insufficient for a positive decision to be made.

3.2.3 Recording And Reporting Assessment Decisions

 How to complete all the documents involved within the company assessment
scheme (e.g. assessment plans, observation reports, summary sheets and
reporting sheets).
 Systems and procedures for record-keeping, including how to report assessment
decisions for tracking purposes.
 Confidentiality and current data protection legislation.
 Conformance with cyber security regulations and guidelines.

3.2.4 Providing Feedback and Ongoing Support

 Giving clear and constructive feedback following each assessment decision.
 How to provide different types of feedback for different assessment outcomes.

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 Guidance on Assessor Training

 Using the ‘specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely’ (SMART) or other

effective method for goal setting in performance management.
 Dealing with disputes, inconsistencies of evidence and appeals and how
confidentiality will be maintained in a calm and sensitive manner.
 Confirming progression achievement and opportunities for progression in terms
of post-assessment support and guidance.

3.3 Quality Assurance and Internal Verification

Familiarisation with the company’s arrangements for ensuring quality assurance including
internal verification/audit is important, as are internal communication arrangements for
assessors.

Assessment should be supported by verification of the assessment of the individual’s

competence. The role of the verifier is to check or verify assessments that have been
completed offshore, and a verifier may be used as part of a company’s in-house audit
arrangements. It is important that the verifier is a different person from the assessor on each
occasion. Quality control is undertaken by checking the assessment and ensuring compliance
with the required criteria. Quality assurance is undertaken by checking that the way the final
assessment was conducted was itself authentic and correct.

It may be beneficial in terms of consistency and equitability, for companies to develop

assessment/ appraisal report forms to aid the verification process. This is particularly so when
assessing team performance against a required standard and can enable performance to be
assessed against previous efforts with different team members and different assessors.
Equally it provides a benchmark for individual assessments also. Additionally, a phenomenon
sometimes known as ‘creeping excellence’ can sway assessments through unreasonably high
levels of performance expectation. A standard assessment form can help to mitigate this and
at the same time avoid gaps throughout the process and provide useful information for the
verifier.

Verifiers should:
 ensure that there is a uniform and consistent approach to the assessment process
 be confident that all assessors are assessing and applying competence guidelines to the
same standard
 provide support, advice and guidance to assessors when required
 ensure that all assessments and records are accurate and complete
 possess a sound knowledge of the subject matter and the assessment process.

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Guidance on Assessor Training

4 Assessor Training Challenges

Care should be taken to ensure that the use of formal assessor qualifications and standards is
supportive and appropriate to the contractor’s competence assurance scheme. It should be recognised
that issues can arise with trying to apply and implement these formal qualifications, including:
 lack of opportunity for assessors to meet the requirements of the qualifications due to a lack of
‘fit’ with the assessment process
 the training provided being more focused on the assessor qualification rather than the company
assessment set-up and workplace operational context
 added work for the assessor to achieve the qualification and insufficient support and focus
offshore to complete.

The guidance in this document may be used to tailor an ‘assessors’ training programme’ that better
meets the needs of the operational context of the company, to equip assessors with the basic skills
and abilities to carry out assessments. This could be delivered either in-house or by a recognised
training provider.

Where supervisors or line managers are being asked to fulfil the role of assessor, companies should
recognise that not all individuals in these roles will be naturally able to carry out assessments as
described in this guidance and that short training programmes might not meet the needs of some
individuals. Similarly, some individuals may find it difficult in being objective with their own
professional peer group.

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 Guidance on Assessor Training

5 Providing Support and Advice

Monitoring and support should be put in place to ensure that new assessors are supported as they find
their feet with this important role. This can also help to address issues to do with lack of objectivity
and natural bias.

Some companies address this challenge by putting internal quality assurance or internal verification
processes in place and focus on supporting assessors rather than a traditional auditing approach.

The provision of assessor guidelines and also the opportunity to review other completed assessments
(as a form of standardisation) can also be useful in achieving a more consistent level of assessment.

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