A Boat Crew Qualification Program mentor works
with a boat crew candidate, supervising training on particular tasks in
the relevant qualification guide (crew or coxswain). The mentor assists
the candidate in finding the required reading assignments for a task,
reviews the task performance standards, and assists the candidate in
practicing the task.
When the candidate
can completely and properly perform the task, the mentor signs the
candidate's qualification guide. This is done for each task in the
qualification guide (although the same mentor might not be mentoring
each task).
The quality of a candidate's
training is directly dependent upon the quality of the mentor's own boat
crew performance and experience.
The flotilla commanders or their designee (FSO-MT
or FSO-OP) assign mentors to trainees. If inter-flotilla and/or
division training is offered with mentors from other flotillas, the
flotilla commanders (FC's) need to give their approval of the
mentors who will be signing off their members. This keeps the FC's
"in the loop" in knowing who is signing off their members
(and therefore, keeps the FC responsible for the quality of the mentors and the
quality of the training.)
QEs are among the "best" or most-skilled coxswains in the district. They
can be highly effective in training new BCQP candidates.
The only professional ethics issue to keep in mind is that if a QE has
been more than casually involved in a member's training, the QE probably
should not be the one evaluating the candidate in an underway check
ride. QEs are aware of this issue and can make a decision to recuse
themselves when appropriate.
