Tech Update From Technical Director Steve Spitzer
Enhanced CMET program: Heading into the last turn
I saw an IBM ad on TV referencing “The Decade of Smart” and this got me thinking about the NMEA’s Certified Marine Electronics Technician Program. I want to take a few minutes of your time to communicate
our progress in the enhancement of the CMET program.
By far, the CMET program is the preeminent qualifier for technicians in our industry worldwide. I know this because we continually respond to many domestic and international inquiries about your training programs, culminat- ing with the CMET. Countries around the world are asking our guidance to establish marine electronic educational programs based on the MEI, AMEI and
the CMET models. The NMEA’s CMET program established in the 1980s provides a standard
for marine electronics technicians. It also provides a purpose for continuing education and
advancement in our industry. The goal is to give everyone in the marine electronics industry, including consumers, dealers, distributors and manufacturers, a high-quality standard
to ensure excellence in installation and service of marine electronics equipment.
The goals for the CMET Enhancement Program are as follows:
1. Elevate the CMET program with increased value to our members and
the public
NMEA has invested in the revitalization of this program, which will positively affect
the credibility and importance of the CMET program to our members and market.
A curriculum and course of study will also be created.
2. Eliminate the need for the FCC license requirement
NMEA has in the past required an FCC license for a CMET. The program, tests and
curriculum that are outgrowths of this work should be equivalent to or more
difficult than the current FCC requirements. This will eliminate the need for the
CMET candidate to have an FCC license and thereby grow the CMET program
internationally.
3. Lay the foundation for future work with the FCC
So, where are we today? First, we partnered with a professional testing organization,
the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute—NOCTI. NOCTI, or the Whitener
Group, is a national leader in developing occupational competency assessments that are
fair and reliable. Their clients include ABYC, RVIA (Recreational Vehicle Industry Association), Yacht Brokers Association of America, Sony USA, Robert Bosch Corp., AT&T, and
Chevrolet Motor Division, to name a few. NOCTI facilitated the process and provided the
scientific analysis for validation of each question and each group of questions, assuring a
fair and accurate measurement of competency and performance.
Second, a diverse group was formed consisting of volunteer experts/stakeholders
within our industry, including manufacturers, the media and dealers from around the country. This highly technical volunteer group went through the current CMET test, culling
through each word to check for relevancy and assure accuracy. They added new questions,
including the FCC General Radiotelephone Operators License questions. Your volunteer
group worked for three grueling and very structured days, facilitated by NOCTI.
During that time the group brainstormed the critical duties of a CMET, analyzed the
very specific job and tasks of a CMET, reviewed current CMET questions, reviewed current
FCC questions, and then created new questions. The group gave a weight to each of the
categories and presented a weight for each question within that category. NOCTI analyzed
these weights and questions, assuring the categories and the specific questions within the
categories were a validation of the discussion. On the third day, as you can imagine, once
the results were published discussion ensued until consensus was achieved. This tedious and
detailed work created a test pool of more than 300 questions.
Third, more than 100 volunteers throughout the country and some from around the
world partook in the “beta” assessment test. Once this was completed, NOCTI then reviewed
each question and developed a very succinct scientific statistical analysis based on the
answers to the questions. Feedback indicated that this new CMET will test the technical competency at a much higher level than both the current CMET and GROL.
Fourth, NOCTI has presented to NMEA and our volunteer group only 52 questions of the
300 to be reviewed and discussed for technical accuracy. As of the writing of this article, the
group has begun the mind-numbing work of going through each of the 52 questions. The
plan is to review only 10 questions at a time since the work is extremely detailed. The discussions revolve around every word in each question and every word in each answer to
assure technical accuracy and fairness. These deliberations have been conducted through
web meetings, which have proved to be effective. The target date for completion of this initial review is for the end of May 2010.
Once this initial review has been accomplished, we will convene a face-to-face meeting
of these experts to debate one more time any technical discrepancies, with final agreement
by consensus. The ultimate objective is to have the enhanced CMET test published sometime
in the summer and ready no later than at the NMEA International Conference and Expo in
Seattle.
Once this is achieved, the group will go back to work to review the draft of the voluminous curriculum that was created by NOCTI. This curriculum eventually will be developed
into the study guide and course for a CMET class.
Lastly, this group envisions a system for specialists in a respective electronic category
once CMET is achieved. One possibility is to create vertical specialties such as radar specialist, autopilot specialist and satellite communication specialist. This idea may be realized in
the next phase of this program.
It may look like this:
Radar
Specialist
Auto Pilot
Specialist
CMET
SAT COM
Specialist
Networking
Specialist
Navigation
Specialist
NMEA and the overall industry should give kudos to these incredibly dedicated and com-
mitted individuals and their companies who are focused on advancing the CMET program to
cement it as “the industry’s certification program.”
With the Enhanced CMET program finally being realized just around the corner, the
marine electronics industry will be, as IBM says, entering the “Decade of Smart.”
Please don’t hesitate to contact me at sspitzer@nmea.org.
