Train the Trainer
for Seafarers
CPD Online Course
Build the skills to plan, deliver and assess training that changes practice on board — a CPD-accredited programme for new and seasoned trainers alike, completed entirely online at your own pace.
Training that actually changes practice on board
Our Train the Trainer course, available entirely online, is designed to acquaint participants with the foundational principles and essential concepts of effective training. It allows you to progress at your own pace, fitting your learning around your schedule.
The course offers an opportunity to enhance your existing instructional abilities, with numerous chances to refine and elevate how you plan, execute and assess training events — supporting your growth as an engaging and impactful trainer.
It is well suited to new trainers establishing a solid foundation in crucial training techniques, and equally to seasoned professionals looking for fresh and innovative methods for conducting impactful training sessions.
Developed by experienced maritime professionals
Our courses are developed by experienced maritime professionals and are designed to provide practical knowledge and competency-based learning for today's maritime industry. On successful completion, participants receive a certificate issued by the Virtual Maritime Academy, recognized worldwide as evidence of professional development and competency.
A digital certificate is delivered by email and a hardcopy is mailed worldwide at no additional cost.
On successful completion, you will be able to:
These are the learning objectives established in the course syllabus, Revision 1, 2026.
- ✓Explain the fundamentals of adult learning theory and instructional design methodology.
- ✓Perform a training needs assessment for a shipboard or shore-based audience.
- ✓Write precise, measurable learning objectives.
- ✓Plan, sequence and document a complete lesson plan.
- ✓Select instructional methods appropriate to the subject and the audience.
- ✓Use teaching aids, multimedia and the training environment effectively.
- ✓Manage participants and cater to diverse learning styles.
- ✓Foster a positive learning environment and navigate classroom challenges.
- ✓Design assessments and mark them fairly, communicating results constructively.
- ✓Evaluate lessons, gather feedback and measure training effectiveness.
- ✓Deliver captivating, learner-centred training that has a lasting impact.
Nine chapters and a final assessment
Each chapter concludes with a short multiple-choice quiz to reinforce key learning objectives. Select a chapter to read what it covers.
—Virtual Maritime Academy Introduction
01Understanding Training and Learning
02Foundational Principles of Learning
03Crafting an Effective Lesson Plan
04Diverse Instructional Methods
05Enhancing Maritime Training
06Engaging Learners
07Performance Assessment
08Stages of Course Creation
09Instructor Checklists
FAFinal Assessment
Download the course syllabus here — Revision 1, 2026.
This course is designed for professionals involved in delivering, designing and evaluating training — on board, ashore and in the classroom.
Globally recognized & industry approved
Our courses are developed by experienced maritime professionals and designed to provide practical, competency-based learning that meets internationally recognized standards for training excellence.
CPD Approved Provider #783378A final assessment with a minimum score of 70%
Each chapter concludes with multiple-choice questions, followed by a final assessment with a required passing score of 70%. The final assessment is entirely online. A computer or tablet with a webcam and a reliable internet connection is required.
Students must submit official photo identification before starting the course, as mandated by the CPD Group.
Grounded in the instruments that govern shipboard training
Training on board does not sit outside the regulatory framework. This course addresses the instruments that set training, familiarization and competence requirements for seafarers.
Become the trainer your crew remembers
Good training is designed, not improvised. That means assessing the need, writing objectives, choosing methods that suit the subject and the audience, delivering with confidence, then assessing and evaluating honestly enough to improve the next delivery.
This course builds that competence — completed entirely online, in approximately 15 hours, at your own pace.
Revision 1, 2026. Hardcopy certificate mailed to your address at no additional cost.