Why a training centre should be accredited by The Nautical Institute?

• You will have approval to deliver to the biggest pool of customers.
• You will be accredited by a company (The NI) that has set up a benchmark in the maritime industry, having approval from various flag administrations.
• You will be accredited to offer BCO Courses based on a scheme which is robust, recognised and accepted by the Flag Administrations.
• You will receive the NI’s largest discount on publications (Up to 40 percent).
• You will participate in a scheme which is managed by The Nautical Institute.
• Your accreditation will have a validity of 3 years.
• Your audit will be supported by the engagement of independent auditor and consultant.
• You will be re-accredited on a five-yearly cycle to ensure that you maintain the highest standards.
• You will receive support throughout the auditing process and beyond, while your accreditation remains valid with a world-wide network of technical and administrative support.

What steps will a training centre take to be accredited for the first time?

You will initially receive the following from the NI:-

• Accreditation Application - the application form can be downloaded and filled in and emailed to accreditations@nautinst.org 
• Accreditation Agreement
• Confidentiality Agreement
• Plagiarism Contract
• Account Holder Details (for the Contact Person)

Email invite to upload documents in the NI “Sharefile” system

Before the Audit

• Application and other forms to be filled up to register the request.
• All documents related to the audit must be uploaded into the respective folders and sub folders in the NI ShareFile System 3 months before the agreed audit date for a pre-audit check by auditors. (Shorter lead-time may be considered in exceptional cases.)
• On request, The NI may grant approval to run test courses (maximum two) before the audit.
• You will need to agree audit costs. A guidance page with expected expenses is enclosed.

Audit

• You will need to be delivering a BCO Course at the time of the audit.
• One auditor (for Admin and Technical Audits) will be made available for the audit.
• The scope of the audit will be compliant to all the requirements outlined in The Accreditation Standard.

After the Audit

• The audit report will be discussed with the auditee.
• The formal accreditation report will be generated from The NI based on the audit report.
• In the event there are no non-conformities or requirements a full term 5-year license will be issued.
• In the event there are non-conformities or requirements a temporary license will be issued. The non-conformities or requirements must be closed within the validity of the temporary license.
• Your centre will be added to the list of accredited training centres on the NI website.