Frequently Asked Questions:
About the PSA Courses
No, VIRSEC provides you with a comprehensive set of Course Notes that you can download at the start of each of the Learning Outcomes. You can also use these notes to research any answers when taking the Official Assessment at the end of the course. There is functionality in the course itself to make your own notes that you can email to yourself, but this is not required if course notes are included.
All our courses have a six (6) month access licence applied to them. This licence commences the day the course is purchased, and not from the day you first access the course. You may however enter and exit the course as often as you like until both the course and assessment(s) are completed. If you take longer than the 6 month period, we provide the option to extend the course, but there is a small charge for course extensions.
We provide you with the option to complete the course entirely online, as expected, or via an offline capability accessible through an app, via Google Play or the Apple App Store. You can download the course to the app and study even while at sea or in areas with poor internet connectivity. Once you return to land or a location with good signal quality, you can upload the course to the system and synchronise it with your user area on the LMS [https://virseclms.org]. For further information on accessing the course(s) offline, please reach out to us at training@virsec.org.
Yes, this course is fully compliant with the Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping (STCW). Any country that is signed up to the ISPS Code and STCW Convention should accept our certification. We have to date provided our courses into 136 countries worldwide. It is always advisable to check with your company / vessel before undertaking the course to make sure there are no other internal / local stipulations.
Yes, the fully online Proficiency in Security Awareness or PSA Course (all versions), is fully Approved under the UK Department for Transport, Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). The course complies with the requirements placed upon it by the STCW Convention & Code, the International Ship & Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, and meets with the Knowledge, Understanding & Proficiency (KUP) requirements laid out by the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB).
No, all of our Proficiency in Security Awareness (PSA) Courses consist of the same mandatory content as per the STCW requirements. We have simply tailored the versions of the PSA to provide the learner with a ‘familiar environment’ by tailoring the backgrounds and characters (crew, staff, etc) to fit with the specific vessel type (Yacht, Cargo, Cruise Ship). The actual official certificate is exactly the same mandatory wording incorporated in the course materials.