View Full Version : One last go
Ok, I think I've got the awnser that will provide us with
c-cards, cost hardly anything more and no extra work for HQ.
Bear with me and pull this apart if you can.
Four points and a conclusion.
1) We have QRB's where the diver grade is issued by the DO of
each club. This "issuing of grades" (ignore direct for the mo)
is done at local (not HQ) level.
2) BSAC have just altered the current membership card and
changed the graphics, so it will be easy to do it again.
3) We've done the photo bit to death and largely agree that
although a pic is nice, we can do without it.
4) PADI-pros (DM and above) have a c-card with a gold foil
sticker. About 20mm x 40mm denoting the status. So you have
"PADI 2005 Teaching status" + another load of text saying the
holder is authorised to teach etc. This is issued each year
from PADI HQ. It is a proven system, that is accepted by scuba
outfits worldwide.
Ok put it all together.
BSAC simply changes graphics of the membership card to include
an area for the addition of a foil sticker. NOTHING else is
required. The info on there now is sufficient.
The Local DO has a sheet of foil stickers with each diver
grade. When asked he simply hands out the relevant sticker
and it's fixed to the membership card.
This way BSAC HQ dont have any more work and the DO is the one
checking the member is authorised to have the sticker. Not
unlike the role he has with the QRB now.
So all we are talking about is a slight change in graphics
and a print run from a foil printer.
Works for PADI, so why not BSAC?
TerryH
Very good idea , i like but , this silver foil will have to be unpealable once put on by the DO , so it won't come off very easily , and is it upgradeable once a year or each time they move up a grade ?
Neil R
Ok, I think I've got the awnser that will provide us with
c-cards, cost hardly anything more and no extra work for HQ.
Bear with me and pull this apart if you can.
Four points and a conclusion.
1) We have QRB's where the diver grade is issued by the DO of
each club. This "issuing of grades" (ignore direct for the mo)
is done at local (not HQ) level.
2) BSAC have just altered the current membership card and
changed the graphics, so it will be easy to do it again.
3) We've done the photo bit to death and largely agree that
although a pic is nice, we can do without it.
4) PADI-pros (DM and above) have a c-card with a gold foil
sticker. About 20mm x 40mm denoting the status. So you have
"PADI 2005 Teaching status" + another load of text saying the
holder is authorised to teach etc. This is issued each year
from PADI HQ. It is a proven system, that is accepted by scuba
outfits worldwide.
Ok put it all together.
BSAC simply changes graphics of the membership card to include
an area for the addition of a foil sticker. NOTHING else is
required. The info on there now is sufficient.
The Local DO has a sheet of foil stickers with each diver
grade. When asked he simply hands out the relevant sticker
and it's fixed to the membership card.
This way BSAC HQ dont have any more work and the DO is the one
checking the member is authorised to have the sticker. Not
unlike the role he has with the QRB now.
So all we are talking about is a slight change in graphics
and a print run from a foil printer.
Works for PADI, so why not BSAC?
TerryH
Philip Smith
09-04-2005, 23:49
The Local DO has a sheet of foil stickers with each diver
grade. When asked he simply hands out the relevant sticker
and it's fixed to the membership card.
Notwithstanding what PADI do, I think it would be more authoritative to have the qualification printed on the card. A sticker system could be abused, or at least could be thought to be abusable. It seems to me there is in any case a need for HQ to have a reliable record of qualifications. The grade indicated on the renewal form needs to be validated and an obvious way is to have the DO's or TO's signature (and branch stamp?). It would involve little extra work for HQ, a little coordination would be required between the membership secy and the DO, and HQ would have an accurate qualification record.
Philip Smith
Very good idea , i like but , this silver foil will have to be unpealable once put on by the DO , so it won't come off very easily , and is it upgradeable once a year or each time they move up a grade ?
Neil R
Just going on what my PADI one does, you get sent one with
your renewal letter. So you just peel off the old one and add
the new. Beauty of foil is that it gets messed up if you try
and remove/restick it. You are always going to get some wiseguy
that will buck the system, but a after it's not like the QRB
is such a secure document. I bet there are divers in the world
who have signed up themselves.
TerryH
David Walker
10-04-2005, 02:25
It seems to me there is in any case a need for HQ to have a reliable record of qualifications. The grade indicated on the renewal form needs to be validated and an obvious way is to have the DO's or TO's signature (and branch stamp?). It would involve little extra work for HQ, a little coordination would be required between the membership secy and the DO, and HQ would have an accurate qualification record.
Still means that someone has to sit and go through checking every member's form carefully for quals, which won't happen when someone has 100 of them to collect money for and sign in a couple of hours on a club night. And as our branch stamp is a "BSAC Snorkelling" stamp with the snorkelling bit cut off the bottom, its not like they're hard to duplicate.
For qualification records at HQ you need a system to update HQ when they change, not ticking boxes each year. If they have a pre-printed card that is posted to BSAC (essentially a copy of the qualification page from the QRB on a postcard) then its filled in as soon as the diver qualifies to the new grade by the DO, you will have the most accurate record of quals, and the minimal number of changes while ensuring the system is open to as little abuse as possible (certainly no worse than is possible now).
David
I would agree with the foil sticker to indicate current membership paid though I dont agree with a foil sticker for indicating diving grade.
There are only 5 diving grades and 3 instructor grades within BSAC so to have new certification cards for each grade seems perfectly reasonable and sensible to me. Most shops couldn't give a monkeys about whether a person is a member or not, just what their grade is and I think that it will look a lot better to have a proper card for each level. As it stands, there are c-cards available, just include the cost of the card in the training pack
All that is needed is to include printing of a diver grade on the card plus have space for a annual renewal sticker. This way, the cards will be properly indicating a grade plus the printing of new membership cards each year would not be necessary using the foil.
Will have a total additional cost to a new diver from trainee to Advanced Diver of ?60 for 4 cards; hardly breaks the bank over a couple of years
I do think that it is a good idea though and am surprised that it hasnt been done already
Dave
Nigel Hewitt
10-04-2005, 07:15
For qualification records at HQ you need a system to update HQ when they change, not ticking boxes each year.
OK then, say the branch optionally submits a seperate form with current diver and instructor grades, this goes onto Keith's database as the 'approved' grade. The card shows your 'approved' grade or nothing. Once the branch is done once only updates are needed. If you want to upgrade your card mid-year get a form filled up, signed and hit with the branch stamp or something and sent in with the correct fee.
I'm still slightly perplexed that BSAC doesn't want to know what grades its members hold. I would have thought that was a key number in planning what to do next.
Edward Haynes
10-04-2005, 08:10
The Local DO has a sheet of foil stickers with each diver
grade. When asked he simply hands out the relevant sticker
and it's fixed to the membership card.
This way BSAC HQ dont have any more work and the DO is the one
checking the member is authorised to have the sticker. Not
unlike the role he has with the QRB now.
Sounds a bit like the old QRB where the BDO verified the book each year (Page 52), it was dropped as so many BDO?s couldn?t be bothered to do it. I just don?t see how a volunteer who doesn?t play the game can be persuaded otherwise.
So all we are talking about is a slight change in graphics
and a print run from a foil printer.
Works for PADI, so why not BSAC?
Personally I've never had a problem with dive centres and my QRB and apart from the UK I do most of my diving in the Caribbean. Only in Florida did a CMAS card help (it shows me as a 3rd Class (2*) diver - and no photo).
Edward
Terry, sincerely well done on breaking out of the loop.
3) We've done the photo bit to death and largely agree that
although a pic is nice, we can do without it.
I think you may be overstating the 'largely agree' However my point is and always has been that the decision, as to what appears on a C-Card, is not ours to make alone. NDC/Technical need to make this particular decision.
In the UK evidence of qualification is required only for insurance purposes and insurance itself is optional. That is not the case globally. Some countries, including Spain, Malta and France, have _laws_ pertaining to the requirements for diver documentation. In these countries the C-Card is a statutory instrument. IMVHO it would be remiss of BSAC to issue C-Cards that are not accepted globally, or cards which put dive operators in danger of local prosecution. It would certainly be unprofessional to issue a card on the basis that some dive centres choose to operate in breach of local law, even if it turned out to be the majority of dive centres.
Quite frankly I don't know the minutia of diving law around the globe. I don't have to as long as I carry my QRB which is apparently acceptable to all but the ill-informed. The information included in the QRB is specified by NDC/Technical who are the people best placed to research what is required for a qualification document to be accepted in as many places as possible.
To summarise this point once more. IMVHO BSAC can not simply issue cards on the basis of what happens to be convenient for BSAC. NDC/Technical should formally establish the requirements first. Only then can we decide how best to provision those requirements.
(Terry please note the above is a statement and there is no point trying to debate it for my benefit :-)
The Local DO has a sheet of foil stickers with each diver
grade. When asked he simply hands out the relevant sticker
and it's fixed to the membership card.
That certainly sounds an interesting idea. A tamper proof grade sticker affixed to a generic card.
Just going on what my PADI one does, you get sent one with
your renewal letter. So you just peel off the old one and add
the new.
The current membership card is an insurance certificate which is AFAIK a requirement of UK law - another statutory instrument. BSAC have to provide a certificate to every member that is covered by the third party insurance and it has to be dated for the period of cover. The fact that we have a shiny and durable card, is just a peculiarity of printing costs. One or two of my branch members have remarked that throwing these cards away each year appears to be pretty wasteful.
Now your foil idea has got me thinking. If it is acceptable to attach a tamper proof sticker for diving grade, why not extend it to the period of insurance cover. So BSAC members are issued with a card that separate grade and membership foils can be attached to. The card becomes similar to the tax disc holder on your car. Taking this a little further, as the card is now persistent you could justify a greater upfront investment in it - such as taking the time and trouble to print a photo on it perhaps.
I don't for a minute think it is quite that simple. Branches would need to change their renewal procedures for a start. However, if the process is ecologically friendlier than producing and disposing of nearly 40,000 plastic cards a year, it is likely to be supported by a significant proportion of the membership - perhaps the majority even.
You are always going to get some wiseguy
that will buck the system, but a after it's not like the QRB
is such a secure document. I bet there are divers in the world
who have signed up themselves.
Quite possibly. However A responsible organisation does not encourage people to be irresponsible. I am sure you would complain along with hordes of Watchdog viewers if car makers fitted cheap, ineffectual locks, just because some cars get broken into. In fact we expect car makers to do their best to prevent car theft.
Again, well done Terry we are in danger of thinking creatively here :-)
Philip Smith
10-04-2005, 11:14
Still means that someone has to sit and go through checking every member's form carefully for quals, which won't happen when someone has 100 of them to collect money for and sign in a couple of hours on a club night.
Yes, it would mean a check is required. A check should be happening anyway; my suggestion is to formalise it. While it is good to deal with renewals in a single night, there is no reason for the time available to be so limited. If the DO was not willing to do this, no grade would be printed on the member's card. It would therefore be in the member's interests to get the DO's signature.
The grade printed on the membership card could go out of date during the year, especially in the early stages of training. The primary evidence of grade would be the QRB and the bought Q-cards should still be available.
For qualification records at HQ you need a system to update HQ when they change, not ticking boxes each year. If they have a pre-printed card that is posted to BSAC (essentially a copy of the qualification page from the QRB on a postcard) then its filled in as soon as the diver qualifies to the new grade by the DO, you will have the most accurate record of quals, and the minimal number of changes while ensuring the system is open to as little abuse as possible (certainly no worse than is possible now).
I agree that an "updated as and when" system would be ideal, but this would create a separate system, with additional stationery (postcards and reissued qual cards), postage and HQ personnel costs. My suggestion is a small modification to an existing system, requiring no additional stationery (in time, the renewal forms could be produced with a box for the DO's signature), postage or HQ staff time.
Philip Smith
David Walker
10-04-2005, 11:52
suggestion is a small modification to an existing system, requiring no additional stationery [...] postage or HQ staff time.
What about the time of the DO and membership secretary - the people who do all this for no reward? Our membership secretaries already spend a long time chasing people for money, particularly the ones we don't see very often, so getting confirmation of their diver grades is just going to add more trouble for them meaning that again it will come to them trusting whatever is put in front of them and just signing a pile of forms one after the other.
David
:=suggestion is a small modification to an existing system, requiring no additional stationery [...] postage or HQ staff time.
What about the time of the DO and membership secretary - the people who do all this for no reward? Our membership secretaries already spend a long time chasing people for money, particularly the ones we don't see very often, so getting confirmation of their diver grades is just going to add more trouble for them meaning that again it will come to them trusting whatever is put in front of them and just signing a pile of forms one after the other.
Whether someone is being paid or doing it voluntarily, if they are not prepared to do the role, then they shouldn't have the position. Hardly that difficult; if someone doesn't provide the doco, then they get registered as an Ocean Diver ( and charged membership rate as such ) until they provide the appropriate doco to get the file at HQ updated
Dave
Yes, it would mean a check is required. A check should be happening anyway; my suggestion is to formalise it.
Currently the check is made by the branch DO and the record is held by the branch. Centralisation of checked qualifications is a new system. It may well be a worthwhile system, but it is additional.
While it is good to deal with renewals in a single night, there is no reason for the time available to be so limited. If the DO was not willing to do this, no grade would be printed on the member's card. It would therefore be in the member's interests to get the DO's signature.
I have been struggling with the fact that we have two separate (asynchronous) systems and trying to consolidate them is not going to be straightforward. So what I have suggested elsewhere on the thread is that we keep the systems separate. The DO remains responsible for issueing grades. The membership secretary keeps responsibility for administering renewals.
So, and I am thinking aloud here. Every BSAC member gets a durable plastic card when they join in addition to the QRB. When a qualification is complete, the DO affixes the relevant grade foil to that card. At renewal time the memberhip secretary processes the renewal as usual but instead of recieving a number of plastic cards each month, BSAC send a number of renewal foils.
That still leaves the problem of issueing current members with the new card. So, how about this. At the next renewal the member is sent the new card with a renewal foil but no grade foil. They can then verify their grade with their DO to get the grade foil converting the membership card into a C-Card.
The DO needs to tell BSAC what qualification members have. However as the DO is currently reposnible for validating grades in the QRB, it should be acceptable for the DO to send a simple summary of the foils that have been issued, to BSAC each month.
So what do we need. Diver grade foils, renewal foils and a qualification summary form. Having a renewable card would hopefully cover those costs.
Should a member lose their card they can get it replaced by HQ, possibly after payment of an admin fee. Should a DO fail to update HQ of a qualification, a member could send a photocopy of their QRB page and recieve the grade foil direct from HQ - an additional benefit.
Basically we end up with a plastic card summarising what is in the QRB and administered in a similar fashion. I don't see a whole lot more work/cost with this scheme than we have currently. It appears to provide the benefits of centralised record keeping which people here are asking for, without significantly increasing administrative time and cost.
Comments?
Again, well done Terry we are in danger of thinking creatively here :-)
Careful, wouldnt want to be accused of creative thinking :-)
Ok putting the suggestions together how about this.
1. On joining BSAC you get a generic membership card as now
with no grade, but with the month you joined.
2. Inside each student pack is an A5 card
(like the yellow/white ones), which are sent to HQ as soon as
they have completed a grade. The resultant card is as the paid
ones now and has all relevant info including a pic.
Again it repeats the month you joined.
3. On renewal BSAC issue a membership foil attached to the
renewal letter.
4. On receipt the member attaches it to his/her c-card.
Result is a c-card that is updated as required , but does away
with the membership card in favour of a foil. Beauty of this
system is that the foil is the same for ALL divers, so
printing costs are low.
Where is the money coming from? Well for a start we dont need
the membership cards and as they are not printed individually
that will save a lot. Second is that we dont change grade that
often. So although you would have an initial print run of 40k,
this would deminish rapidly each year. Could even be staggered
by grade in the 1st couple of years.
So we now have the equivilent of the PADI pro system where
you get a c-card for the grade and a sticker to show you are "In status" each year.
The "month" bit is very important, because unlike PADI we have
renewals throughout the year. So you have a dated foil (2005
etc) and it's only valid for 12 months from the date on the
card.
Cant actually see anything wrong with this and it shoudnt cost
that much to impliment.
Comments
TerryH
Philip Smith
10-04-2005, 17:14
Currently the check is made by the branch DO and the record is held by the branch. Centralisation of checked qualifications is a new system. It may well be a worthwhile system, but it is additional.
Currently, the grade is checked by the membership secretary, if at all. If in your branch the DO checks the grade on the membership renewal form then you are already nearly doing what I am suggesting. HQ already keep a record of the grades indicated on membership forms, so no new system is required. However, at present the central record is "indicative" because the grades are not properly verified. I think an indicative record is of very limited use and can be made definitive with minimal additional effort by members and branch officers.
Philip Smith
I like the foil idea.
It might be possible to only print the card once - and have both grade and date on it?
Janos
PS - Just thought of a downside to the above - you need more than the grade - you need to have "Ocean Diver - qualified to 20m etc etc etc" on the back.
Ok putting the suggestions together how about this.
Well let's not get too carried away. I think we have a rough idea, it needs some HQ input at this stage. (Keith)
2. Inside each student pack is an A5 card
(like the yellow/white ones), which are sent to HQ as soon as
they have completed a grade.
3. On renewal BSAC issue a membership foil attached to the
renewal letter.
The number of separate documents, HQ mailings, and changes to existing procedures should be kept to the absolute minimum IMO. Maybe it is enough to entrust the DO with a bunch of grade foils and summarise what has been issued each month. Similarly renewal foils do not have to go direct to members, HQ could send the relevant number of foils to the membership secretary who distributes them - as they currently do with membership cards.
Beauty of this
system is that the foil is the same for ALL divers, so
printing costs are low.
Ideally yes. It could turn out that month and membership number are statutory requirements for a renewal foil - I don't know! In any case I would expect 3500 customised foil stickers to be less expensive than 3500 custom cards. Lets just hope there is not some printing oddity which proves me wrong.
Second is that we dont change grade that
often. So although you would have an initial print run of 40k,
this would deminish rapidly each year.
I don't think it matters too much! The grade foils become standard stationary. So BSAC get a bunch printed taking advantage of whatever the price break happens to be. Branch DOs hold stock and request top ups as required. You could make it complicated by asking DOs to account for each and every foil (like a reciept pad), but they currently hold branch stamps and I see no reason why they should abuse stickers any more than the current stamp may or may not be abused. One for NDC/Technical perhaps?
Could even be staggered
by grade in the 1st couple of years.
There is a start-up cost, no doubt about it. We appear to have identified some benefits to justify that cost. C-Card included in the membership fee, centralised qualification records, ecologically sound. There is also the marketing point and some of the start-up cost can be offset from the expected increase in membership.
The "month" bit is very important, because unlike PADI we have
renewals throughout the year. So you have a dated foil (2005
etc) and it's only valid for 12 months from the date on the
card.
Or you put the renewal month on the renewal foil. I guess it depends on how much you might save by printing 40000ish (yearly) compared to 3500ish (monthly)
Cant actually see anything wrong with this
We probably have enough of an idea for someone at HQ to look at and judge whether it is feasible.
PS - Just thought of a downside to the above - you need more than the grade - you need to have "Ocean Diver - qualified to 20m etc etc etc" on the back.
Do you? Maybe it could be like an insurance certificate, the details are in the separate policy document. The card just states the grades that have been awarded.
It strikes me that exaclty what gets included on the card falls into three categories;
The need to have
The should have
The nice to have
...now where did I get that from;-)
The details would be decided by NDC/Technical I guess.
It strikes me that exaclty what gets included on the card falls into three categories;
The need to have
The should have
The nice to have
...now where did I get that from;-)
DSDM?
CAS
1. On joining BSAC you get a generic membership card as now
with no grade, but with the month you joined.
So just like a membership card then? "I'm a member of BSAC but I'm still learning" kind of thing. Just a carrier for my membership foil?
2. Inside each student pack is an A5 card
(like the yellow/white ones), which are sent to HQ as soon as
they have completed a grade. The resultant card is as the paid
ones now and has all relevant info including a pic.
Again it repeats the month you joined.
I've just completed Ocean Diver so get an ocean diver card complete with that year's membership sticker?
Then when I do Sport Diver I get a Sport Diver card with that year's membership sticker.
3. On renewal BSAC issue a membership foil attached to the
renewal letter.
4. On receipt the member attaches it to his/her c-card.
The "month" bit is very important, because unlike PADI we have
renewals throughout the year. So you have a dated foil (2005
etc) and it's only valid for 12 months from the date on the
card.
So the month on the card + the year sticker gives you the valid for 12 months from date.
Cant actually see anything wrong with this and it shoudnt cost
that much to impliment.
Neither can I. I like it, lots. I also like the fact that if the branch officers are less than enthusiastic, there is still another route for a member to get the apropriate updates as they will be able to send in a photocopy of their QRB to get their card done themselves.
CAS
Currently, the grade is checked by the membership secretary, if at all.
The only time our branch membership secretary would check a QRB is when a member requests a change of grade. The only branch officer _responsible_ for validating diving qualification is our DO.
If in your branch the DO checks the grade on the membership renewal form then you are already nearly doing what I am suggesting.
Currently our membership secretary can jump on any lapsed member she notices in the club house and renew them. What you are suggesting would require the DO to be present and for the member to have their QRB available.
HQ already keep a record of the grades indicated on membership forms, so no new system is required. However, at present the central record is "indicative" because the grades are not properly verified.
As you say, the current HQ record is not validated. The only definitive record is the QRB. The process that validates the HQ record and assures accuracy is a new system - even if it happens to use the same field in the database.
I think an indicative record is of very limited use and can be made definitive with minimal additional effort by members and branch officers.
I think you could be making a leap of faith here. If BSAC are to move to a validated centralised record, the process can not rely on being 'plan perfect'. That is a process that only works when everyone involved does what they should do, when they should do it.
The number of separate documents, HQ mailings, and changes to existing procedures should be kept to the absolute minimum IMO. Maybe it is enough to entrust the DO with a bunch of grade foils and summarise what has been issued each month. Similarly renewal foils do not have to go direct to members, HQ could send the relevant number of foils to the membership secretary who distributes them - as they currently do with membership cards.
Ok minimising paperwork.
We need a form/card that has all the details that can be
checked at local level. A tweak of the existing white/yellow
A5 cards should suffice. So that get's included in the pack.
This is where I think we differ slighty ........
Although it would be easy to give branches membership foils,
I'm not sure if this covers the issue of making sure each
member is insured as now with the membership cards.
To replace the card you have to have a system which covers the
same ground. So, as now you have a letter, addressed to the
individual which has a foil sticker stating the year.
Because it's part of the letter which is addressed to that
individual, the foil does not have to have any specific
details, it just says BSAC, date of year and a bit of general
text. Distribution is as now.
So the intstead of having to print a letter AND a membership
card for each individual, you just print the letter. The now
same foil fof 40k members can be peeled off and stuck on.
Not sure how much dosh thsi would save, but I bet it would go
half way towards funding the replacement c-cards and dont
forget those are NOT done annualy.
TerryH
Tony Dwyer
11-04-2005, 15:56
I really don't see a difficulty with a membership secretary having up to date qualification data. Provided of course that the branch maintains proper training records, and the officers of the club share info.
Ours does and they do.
Our membership secretary has ready access to up to date qualifications for every active member of our branch. Rocket Science it ain't.
I've said it elsewhere, but here's another go.
What's wrong with the branch issuing a C card? No real difference to signing the QRB. Many of us probably have access to appropriate technology, directly or indirectly. :>
Our membership secretary has ready access to up to date qualifications for every active member of our branch. Rocket Science it ain't.
Yep absolutely as does ours, but the fact that some see it as
a potential problem, means it's better not to go there if
possible.
What's wrong with the branch issuing a C card? No real difference to signing the QRB. Many of us probably have access to appropriate technology, directly or indirectly. :>
The point of the c-card is that it is an endorsement by the
agency (BSAC) as to the validity of the diver grade.
That means it has to be done at HQ even though HQ themselves
get the info from the same source.
Besides a DIY job would make us look like muppets with a whole
raft of varying types of cards. Thats not going to make us look
very professional and really mess up schools perception of BSAC.
TerryH
Tony Dwyer
11-04-2005, 17:58
:=
:=Our membership secretary has ready access to up to date qualifications for every active member of our branch. Rocket Science it ain't.
:=
Yep absolutely as does ours, but the fact that some see it as
a potential problem, means it's better not to go there if
possible.
:=
:=What's wrong with the branch issuing a C card? No real difference to signing the QRB. Many of us probably have access to appropriate technology, directly or indirectly. :>
The point of the c-card is that it is an endorsement by the
agency (BSAC) as to the validity of the diver grade.
That means it has to be done at HQ even though HQ themselves
get the info from the same source.
Besides a DIY job would make us look like muppets with a whole
raft of varying types of cards. Thats not going to make us look
very professional and really mess up schools perception of BSAC.
TerryH
Yup, did you perchance notice the smiley?
I really don't see a difficulty with a membership secretary having up to date qualification data. Provided of course that the branch maintains proper training records, and the officers of the club share info.
Ours does and they do.
Ours hasn't always and they haven't always! We are not perfect, partictularly when it comes to paperwork, but we have remained one of the largest and busiest amateur scuba diving clubs for the last 51 years despite our inadequacies. Fortunately BSACs admin procedures have coped admirably with our lack of enthusiasm for paperwork. Maybe that's the 'problem', we enjoy diving more than form filling!
Our membership secretary has ready access to up to date qualifications for every active member of our branch.
Well done. Our membership sec gets access to the computer records on the two nights a week the club house is open...unless it is being used for the accounts...teaching...she is not too busy chaseing payments...helping behind the bar...planning a dive...teaching in the pool...or God forbid talking to her friends.
Rocket Science it ain't.
Shame! We have a couple of rocket scientists on our books. One lives in France BTW which makes it a little difficult to check his QRB too often.
What's wrong with the branch issuing a C card?
Does the suggested scheme not allow for a branch to issue a C-Card. I think it does ;-)
Yup, did you perchance notice the smiley?
Nope and I bet others didnt too, which is why its worth clarifying seing as we are doing EVERY angle on this one.
TerryH
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