Entry & progression
Governing: STCW Tables A-II/1 and A-III/1; MIN 482 (M) and MIN 493 (M); MSN 1858 (M) Amendment 2, sections 6.2 and 6.10. Leads to: HELM - Management Level.
Why it exists
The 2010 Manila amendments added mandatory training in resource management, leadership and team-working skills at operational level and leadership and managerial skills at management level. MIN 482 set out the UK's tiered answer:
| Route | HELM requirement |
|---|---|
| MNTB-approved officer cadet programme | Criteria built in since July 2013; no separate course |
| Anyone else (experienced seafarers, yacht crew, RN transfers) | HELM(O) certificate with any CoC application received after 31 August 2013 |
| Management-level CoCs | HELM(M) as well |
Who needs it on the yacht route
| Certificate (MSN 1858 A2 table) | HELM(O) | HELM(M) |
|---|---|---|
| Master Code Vessel <200 GT (II/3 and II/2) | Yes | |
| OOW (Yachts) <3000 GT | Yes | |
| Chief Mate (Yachts) <3000 GT | See 6.10 | Yes |
| Master (Yachts) <500 / <3000 GT | Yes |
Section 6.10: applying for Chief Mate at the same time as OOW means doing both courses. MIN 482 also listed yacht engineers Y3 and Y4 for HELM(O) and Y1 and Y2 for HELM(M); check the current engineering notice for the SV route. If you revalidate a CoC by sea service, MIN 482 says no further HELM training is needed.
What STCW asks for
Table A-II/1 (deck) and Table A-III/1 (engineering) share the competence Application of leadership and teamworking skills:
| Knowledge area | This course |
|---|---|
| Shipboard personnel management and training | L4.1 |
| Related conventions and national legislation | L3.3 |
| Task and workload management: planning and co-ordination, personnel assignment, time and resource constraints, prioritisation | L3.1 |
| Effective resource management: allocation of resources, communication on board and ashore, considering team experience, assertiveness and leadership including motivation, situational awareness | L1.2, L2.1, L2.2 |
| Decision-making techniques: situation and risk assessment, generating options, selecting a course of action, evaluating outcome | L3.2 |
Both tables also have a resource management knowledge item under watchkeeping: bridge resource management in A-II/1, engine-room resource management in A-III/1 (L2.2).
The course itself
Providers are approved by the MCA and listed on gov.uk (the HELM-O list was updated 12 March 2026). UKSA, for example, describes a three-day course with written and observed assessment, covering leadership styles, communication, motivation and just culture, situational awareness, human error, team performance, shipboard training and task management. MSN 1865 notes that the MCA need not witness a HELM(O) course where it has witnessed the same provider's HELM(M).
MIN 493 lets providers run HELM for shore staff on a non-mandatory basis; that certificate carries no STCW endorsement and cannot be used for a CoC.
TIP — Get the most from it HELM is exercise-heavy. Bring real incidents from your own yacht, suitably anonymised; the discussion is where the value is.
CAUTION — Approved means listed Check the provider is on the current MCA list before you book. A certificate from an unlisted course will be rejected with your CoC application.