Electro-technical officers are engineer officers, working under the Chief Engineer, who whilst having the same qualifications as the engineers have followed a slightly different course of training to give them a greater knowledge of the many and varied electrical and electronic systems aboard modern ships.
The requirement for electro-technical officers on board ships varies greatly. On board a diesel electric powered cruise ship, for example, there may be several ETOs who spend almost all of their time dealing with electric and electronic matters; whereas, on a small coastal vessel the ETO may well spend most of his/her time dealing with mechanical matters and may only be called upon for electrical and electronic matters as and when required.
The ETO is responsible for the maintenance and repair of all electrical and electronic equipment, installations and machinery. This also includes radio communications and electronic navigation aids.
If you are following the 3-year HND route, the first phase of your training will comprise of a 27-week induction course at a residential Nautical College. Here you will be introduced to your training programme and follow a syllabus covering an introduction to electronics, basic engineering skills, shipboard familiarisation, fire-fighting, personal survival and safety.
The last six weeks of this phase will be almost entirely devoted to workshop training. Lectures will cover the underpinning knowledge which will allow you to make the best of your opportunities to gain practical competence when you go to sea. You will be issued with a portfolio detailing and recording the tasks which you are required to complete both in college and at sea throughout your cadetship.
During your first seagoing phase you will start to put into practice and become competent in those aspects of the job that you learned about, in theory, at college; together with many other competencies which can only be learned at sea. The remainder of your training consists of a number of phases, alternating between college and sea.
At sea you will work aboard one of a diverse range of vessels - such as cruise ships, tankers, bulk carriers, container ships, research ships, roll-on/roll-off ferries, dredgers or lighthouse support vessels ships - operated by a number of different, well respected companies; thereby providing you with extensive practical experience.
During each college phase your progress is assessed and you will be given the underpinning knowledge to enable you to tackle the more complex tasks which await you in the next seagoing phase. At each phase you will learn to take more responsibility whilst gaining greater competence as a deck officer.
If you are following the dedicated ETO Foundation Degree route, the first phase at college is 41 weeks and overall the course has 3 phases in total. The duration of the course is approximately 2½ years.
The training schedule below is designed to give you a good indication of time spent at college and at sea. This does vary depending on the route chosen and college attended.
Qualifications Gained
Option 1:
Professional: Officer of the Watch, Engineering, Radio Maintenance Certificate, Electronic Navigation Equipment Maintenance (ENEM) - including Radar Maintenance - Certificate
Academic: HND in Marine Engineering
Option 2:
Academic: Foundation Degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering
Career Progression as an ETO depends on the shipping company you ultimately join. At this time there are no further qualifications required for ETOs, so seniority is commensurate with experience.
Training Schedule
ETO HND Route:
| College Phase | Approx Duration | Content |
| Induction | 27 weeks |
STCW Basic Training - including Fire Fighting and First Aid General Induction to the shipping industry Academic Ramp: Applied Mathematics to HND entry level Initial NVQ Level 3 UPK (A. Mechanics & Heat, Electrics; Marine Plant) Introduction to Electronics/ Workshop Skills & Technology/Welding |
| Phase 2 | 24 weeks | At Sea |
| Phase 3 | 41 weeks |
Higher National Diploma (HND) Level 1 units:
Higher National Diploma (HND) Level 2 units:
NVQ Level 3 Portfolio Review/Workshop Skills Training STCW Advances Training: MFA |
| Phase 4 | 24 weeks | At Sea |
| Phase 5 | 24 weeks |
Higher National Diploma (HND) Level 2 units:
STCW Advanced Training: AFF, CPSC, & RB NVQ Level 3 Assessment MCA Orals Preparation Consolidation of Work Based Learning and any outstanding academic assessments prior to the award of: HND in Marine Engineering Successful completion of MCA Oral examinations leads to award of initial:
|
| Phase 6 | 10 weeks |
Additional units:
|
| Completion of Cadetship | ||
ETO Foundation Degree Route:
| College Phase | Approx Duration | Content |
| Induction | 2 weeks | STCW Basic Training - including Fire Fighting and First Aid General Induction to the shipping industry |
| Phase 1 | 39 weeks |
ETO Workshop Skills Training Foundation Degree - subjects include:
|
| Phase 2 | 37 weeks | At Sea |
| Phase 3 | 31 weeks | Foundation Degree - subjects include:
Foundation Degree - subjects include:
Consolidation of Work Based Learning and any outstanding academic assessments prior to the award of: Foundation Degree (FdSC) in Electrical/Electronic Engineering |
| Completion of Cadetship* | ||
