International Yacht Training Worldwide


International Yacht Training Worldwide is an independent sailing and boating training organization which provides education and training standards for professional and recreational boaters and yachtsmen and women. It was originally based entirely in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA; it is now a British Columbia, Canada Corporation based in Kelowna.
Its qualifications are similar to those of the Royal Yachting Association at the recreational level, but IYT Worldwide also offers additional courses at the professional level. It is regulated by a number of Maritime Administrations and has an ISO Quality Management System to independently monitor and control all of its training standards.

History

IYT Worldwide was founded by Mark Fry in 1998 as a credible alternative to the RYA with the purpose of providing training for crews of superyachts by offering professional yachtsmen and women the opportunity to train for their career outside the UK, a first for the professional yachting fraternity.
IYT Worldwide was approved, and its courses recognized by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency,in October 1999 and is now recognized as a world leader by multiple administrations due to its numerous international recognitions covering a large number of its courses. IYT has trained over 110,000 candidates in the last 12 years.
Due to its dedication to high standards, quality training and the implementation of its ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System, the company has enjoyed an international expansion which now includes almost 300 partner schools in 56 countries. No other yacht training organisation is as internationally recognised or accepted as IYT.

Global spread

Initially recognized for its professional courses, IYT has successfully developed professional, recreational and other boating watersports courses delivered through licensed training schools. There are currently 271 partner schools around the world in 56 different countries. These include Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Croatia,Cyprus, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, French West Indies, Gibraltar, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel,Italy, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, St Maarten, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, St Lucia, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine,United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States.

Membership

There are basically 2 membership levels, those partner schools offering recreational courses and those offering professional yachting courses such as Master of Yachts and STCW, Basic Safety Training.
Two levels of qualification may be obtained from IYT Worldwide training providers:
Level 1
Level 2
Also referred to as International Certificate of Competency, may be required to operate a vessel in EU waters, both coastal and internal. It is a certificate which is similar to an International Drivers License.
An International Certificate of Competence is a certificate which may be issued to anyone who has successfully completed certain national boating licenses or met the ICC Standards of Knowledge and practical competencies. Almost all member states within the European Union have accepted the IYT World ICC.
Although only guaranteed to be accepted in countries that have adopted the relevant UN Resolution 40, the ICC is a useful document to carry and will generally be accepted where proof of competence is required.
In general terms an ICC is required for the inland waterways of Europe and for inland and coastal waters of Mediterranean countries. For the coastal waters of Northern Europe the ICC is generally not required, however to all of these generalisations there are exceptions.
If in doubt, be sure to check with the country administration you are visiting and the charter company that you are chartering with.