Maritime and Coastguard Agency
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has officially opened the new North East Exam Centre, which is based at South Tyneside College. The centre will provide a location for Deck, Engineering and other Oral Examinations for the maritime community.
Speaking at the opening, Katy Ware, Director of Maritime Safety and Standards at the MCA said: The Marine School at South Tyneside College is a world-renowned centre of excellence for marine education and training, and so we are delighted that the college is now also home to this new exam centre, the first of its kind in the UK.
This new centre not only represents a significant change in the way the MCA delivers our Survey and Inspection responsibilities, but it also means maritime students no longer need to spend time and money travelling to a Marine Office for an examination, everything they need to get qualified is right on their doorstep.
The Exam Centre has been opened as part of a new way of working for the MCAs Survey and Inspection, replacing the Tyne Marine Office which closed on 3rd March. Surveyors who worked at the Tyne Marine Office are now working remotely, a move which follows a period of extensive consultation in 2016