Meeting of Experts to Adopt Guidelines on the Training of Ships’ Cooks

The purpose of the Meeting is to review the draft and adopt guidelines on training of ships’ cooks, in accordance with a Governing Body decision at its 310th Session (March 2011). Pursuant to the Resolution concerning the promotion of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, the Guidelines on Training of Ships’ Cooks will be a tool to assist Members to implement the Convention. The Guidelines should provide guidance on the qualifications and training of ships' cooks, the responsibilities of the different actors involved in the provision and preparation of food on board ship, the core competencies for the four different categories of catering staff and the method of evaluating the competencies.

To ensure that the guidelines are of the highest quality and are useful to members it is important that highly qualified experts from many different countries review the document, offer their recommendations, and approve the guidelines. Experts should have practical experience and knowledge of the shipping industry particularly with regard to the training and responsibilities of ships’ cooks.