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Diving CPD – FAQs

This document sets out answers to questions submitted to IMCA by diving supervisors and others in the offshore diving industry.  We regularly review and update the information provided.

For more information on the requirements of the CPD scheme, please contact [email protected]

For support enquiries related to registration, payment and use of the app, please contact [email protected]

Scheme Background and Requirements

Why has this scheme been introduced?

Diving supervisors perform a safety critical role and, before the introduction of this scheme, there was no effective means of ensuring they kept abreast of changes in good practice and guidance. In order to maintain the standing of the IMCA supervisors and the certification scheme, it was essential that IMCA introduced a CPD system.

What benefits will I get from the scheme?

The app incorporates the latest in training techniques to support diving supervisors in keeping up to date with current information and guidelines from IMCA. It allows IMCA to make diving supervisors instantly aware of safety critical issues that may arise within the industry by means of the app’s broadcast system. It will also allow supervisors to demonstrate that they are actively keeping their knowledge up to date.

Will I have access to IMCA’s diving guidance?

You will be able to access and download any IMCA diving guidance used in any of the app modules. Otherwise, access is provided through member login details and password (ask a colleague if you do not have a company email address).

What happens to the money that IMCA collects from this scheme?

The income generated by the scheme is designed to cover the annual running costs of the revalidation scheme. IMCA has decided not to recover any of the development costs for the app, which took over two years to produce and test.

In developing the CPD app, IMCA has endeavoured to make the system convenient by enabling supervisors to spread their time commitment across the year and undertake CPD in any location and on any device. We have kept the cost as low as possible and believe that £100 per year is an appropriate amount given the overall system costs and the benefit to individual diving supervisors of having such a system in place. Through the CPD system, more costly and less convenient alternatives that IMCA was being pressured to adopt, such as training courses and formal examinations, have been avoided.

I have not heard of this before now, why have I not been contacted before?

The scheme launch was announced through various of media, including being posted on IMCA’s website.

Eligibility

Does the scheme cover both air diving supervisors and bell diving supervisors? If so, what is the difference?

Yes. Each unit comprises two core modules and four air diving supervisor modules that must be completed by all users. In addition, there is a bell diving module within each unit which is only available to bell diving supervisors and must also be completed by them to remain “in-date”.

Is the scheme open to non-IMCA diving supervisors?

The system is open to all IMCA-qualified diving supervisors, plus those holding Australian Diver Accreditation Scheme (ADAS) and Diver Certification Board of Canada (DCBC) offshore diving supervisor certificates. No other non-IMCA diving supervisors are currently accepted into the system.

Will I be able to access the app if I am a supervisor under training?

Access to the app is not currently available to diving supervisors under training.

Certificate Validity, In-Date Status and Verification

Do I need to be on this scheme to keep my IMCA diving supervisor certificate valid? What happens if I don’t take part?

All IMCA Diving Supervisors who wish to maintain the validity of their certificates must undertake appropriate CPD going forward. IMCA will consider evidence of appropriate CPD that has not been undertaken using the IMCA Diving CPD app, but this CPD record must be of equivalent standard to the IMCA scheme and certified as true by an appropriate independent third-party provider. Self-certified CPD records will not be accepted.

IMCA encourages all eligible diving supervisors to register for the IMCA Diving Supervisor CPD app on IMCA’s website and start using it as an appropriate means of maintaining the validity of their diving supervisor certificates.

What happens to my existing IMCA diving supervisor certificate, will a new certificate be issued?

Your existing IMCA diving supervisor certificate will not be considered “in-date” unless you undertake appropriate CPD.

Do potential employers have a way to check our progress? If an employer asks me about my CPD progress, is there any way I can send them proof?

You can do this by sharing your progress. In the Android/iOS app, select the Settings cog icon then choose ‘Progress’. In the web app, select ‘Progress’ from the menu (to the left in desktop view, or via the three lines menu icon). Tapping on ‘Share’ below the QR code allows you to share your progress via email, for example, to your employer or prospective employer. In addition, it is intended that online verification of certificates and CPD progress will be made available to supervisors, employers, and clients on the IMCA website later this year.

Is use of the IMCA Diving Supervisor CPD App the only way I can demonstrate that I maintain suitable CPD records on an ongoing basis?

Use of the IMCA Diving CPD app is intended to be convenient and affordable. IMCA will also consider evidence of appropriate CPD that has not been undertaken using the IMCA app, but such CPD must be of equivalent standard to the IMCA scheme and certified as true by an appropriate independent third-party provider. Self-certified CPD records will not be accepted.

Registration, Revalidation and Payment

How do I register for the scheme?

Please visit https://www.imca-int.com/cpd. If registering for the first time, you will need to upload a photograph, photo ID (passport) and a copy of your diving supervisor certificate.

What is revalidation?

If you have previously registered, you will need to visit https://www.imca-int.com/cpd annually to confirm the information held in respect of your certification, to add any additional information as may be requested, and to pay the annual revalidation fee.

How much does this cost and how do I pay?

The annual revalidation, which includes access to the CPD system, costs £100 (GBP) per year. Payment is collected on submission of the registration or revalidation, with both card and bank transfer options available.

If I am already registered, will I have to re-register each year? If so, will I lose my progress data?

You will have to complete the revalidation form and pay annually, but you will not lose your previous data. Progress through the quarterly units remains in the database, although your access to the app may be blocked if you do not revalidate by the annual deadline. IMCA plans to maintain two years’ material (eight knowledge units) for reference online at any time.

Getting Started with the App

How do I get my login details?

You will receive login details by email once your registration has been reviewed and your eligibility verified. This should take no longer than a few days, so if you have not received this email within five days, please contact [email protected]. Please ensure you check any junk or spam folders in case the message is filtered out.

How do I get the app and what devices does it work on?

Once your registration has been reviewed and revalidation fee paid, your welcome email will provide links to the CPD app, which is available in the Apple Store and Google Play, with a web version at https://cpd.imca-int.com/. You can use the app on any recent iPhone, iPad or Android device, or the web version via the browser on all types of device.

We are aware of other sites purporting to provide other versions of the app, such as for Mac and Windows devices. These are not genuine and may be used to steal data from unsuspecting users. Only the above links should be used.

Is there a tablet-ready app, as I find everything a bit small on my phone?

While the app was not specifically developed for tablets, your tablet may provide an option to adjust the display, such as the double arrows on the bottom right of an iPad screen to expand the app to fit the screen.

Will the app work when I am offshore and unable to get online?

In the Android/iOS apps, you can download the modules onto a smartphone or tablet prior to going offshore, by clicking on the download button at the bottom of the screen.

When answering the questions within each unit, you will not receive a response while offline – you will need to go online in order to check your answers and synchronise your progress (module or unit completion).

The browser-based version does not currently offer offline functionality.

If I reinstall or delete the app, and reload it, will I lose my completed history?

Module and unit completion data is stored securely in the CPD system, so you will be able to access the content from the beginning of the next module or unit (progress within each unit is only saved temporarily within the app).

Can I use the app on multiple devices (including if a device is lost, breaks down, or is upgraded)?

You should only be logged in on one device at a time – if you try to log in on another device, you will see a warning then be logged out of the first device. This is to ensure that you do not lose progress within a module that you have already started on the first device. If you need to switch devices, then because only module/unit completion data is stored in the CPD system, you will need to start from the beginning of the first incomplete module available to you.

Using the App

Tell me about the tests that are built into the app – why are they needed?

At the end of each module there is a set of multiple choices questions to confirm your understanding of the module content. These must all be successfully answered in order to complete the current module and to unlock the next module or unit.

I cannot access the next unit even though I have been informed that it is now live.

To start the next unit, you need to have completed all previous units available to you. You may need to refresh your screen when a unit is newly published (pull down in the app or use the refresh button in your web browser).

I need help. I have tried many different combinations to answer one of the questions. I cannot get the right answer even after multiple attempts. Please help. What am I doing wrong?

All the units are extensively tested before release. Read the question carefully to make sure that you understand what is being asked. Go back to the slide relating to the question and reread the material, re-watch any videos, or read the associated guidance. You can discuss the question and possible answers with your colleagues.

User Account, Data Access and Security

Can I edit or change my profile – name corrections, change of email address, new photo, etc?

As your identity is verified when you register, you must contact IMCA to make any changes to your details. Email [email protected] or use the ‘Feedback’ option within the app for this.

If I forget my password and use the reset password option, will it have an impact on my current progress?

No, data will not be lost or changed.

How secure is my personal information?

IMCA takes the data security extremely seriously, and is accredited in accordance with ISO 27001 for its information security management system. Numerous security protections are built in to the CPD app, website and databases – these are not detailed publicly, for your protection.

For more details on how your information is collected, processed and secured, see IMCA’s privacy policy at https://www.imca-int.com/privacy-policy/.