RYA Professional Practices & Responsibilities

From April 2012 anyone applying for a commercial endorsement to an RYA/MCA Certificate of Competence must have taken this Professional Practices and Responsibilities (PPR) Course.

So this course is for anyone using or intending to use an RYA qualification or Certificate of Competence to gain a commercial endorsement in order to work professionally as skipper or crew. Qualifications that can be commercially endorsed are:

•RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence

•RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence

•RYA Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence

•RYA Coastal Skipper

•RYA Advanced Powerboat Certificate of Competence

•RYA Advanced Powerboat Course Completion Certificate (only if issued before 1st Jan 2005)

•RYA Powerboat Level 2

•RYA Day Skipper practical (non-tidal) supported by Day Skipper shorebased

•RYA Day Skipper practical (tidal waters only)

The Professional Practices and Responsibilities (PPR) course is about your legal responsibilities as a professional skipper or crew. The course is all conducted online and explains the legal framework that you fit into in your status as a commercial operator.

Each year approximately 4500 people apply to the RYA for a commercial endorsement to their RYA/MCA Certificates of Competence. They include:

•Sailing Instructors

•Charter Skippers

•Corporate skippers

•Delivery skippers and crew

•Charter yacht crew

•Super yacht crew

•Work boat skippers

•RIB drivers

•Deckhands

•Harbour Masters

Whatever your job is, in the commercial world you are viewed as a professional seafarer. As such, you are no different from the captain of a cruise liner or an oil tanker: you have a duty of care to crew, to passengers, and to other water users, and you will be held to account if things go wrong. The RYA Professional Practices and Responsibilities (PPR) Course will introduce you to these responsibilities.

The course is split into 4 short modules followed by 2 exams. All of it is online.