The commanding officer of the National Maritime Center issued a notice March 6, 2017, that the course and program approval request inventory is once again at a reasonable work in progress level. The inventory of requests awaiting evaluation is down to 70 with none of those waiting longer than 45 days. The NMC is currently averaging approximately 50 calendar days to complete an approval and that number continues to decline. NMC returned to a first in, first out inventory process March 1, 2017, and continues working to drive down both inventory and processing time.
The number of requests that require additional information continues to be high. 46 CFR 10 Subpart D contains the regulatory requirements for course approvals. Coast Guard policy is contained in NVIC 03-14, Guidelines for Approval of Training Courses and Programs. The top reasons why course/program approvals require additional information can be found on the training approvals page of the NMC website.
“NMC continues to encourage training providers to communicate specific recommendations, concerns, and issues regarding the course approval process with us and we thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to reduce the inventory levels,” said Capt. Kirsten Martin, commanding officer of NMC.
If you have general questions or feedback regarding Course Approvals, please check the NMC website or contact the NMC by e-mail at IASKNMC@uscg.mil, or by calling 1-888-IASKNMC (1-888-427-5662).
This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.