20 MARCH 2018 • FOGHORN TRAINING Let MCM manage your insurance so you can focus on your voyage MCM is a leading independent insurance brokerage based in the Pacific Northwest. Our marine practice group has more than 100 years of combined experience placing insurance and managing the marine industry’s unique risks. Whether we’re working with vessel operators, builders, repair facilities or suppliers, we create specialized solutions that meet each client’s needs. EMpLoyEE BEnEfits | ExECutivE BEnEfits | REtiREMEnt pLans insuRanCE advisoRy | pRopERty & CasuaLty Contact Damon L. Nasman at (206) 262-6375 or email damon.nasman@mcmnw.com www.mcmnw.com A learning management system, or LMS, is a computer software platform that delivers online training and exams. However, that’s not its only function.Another more utilitarian, often overlooked, advantage of an LMS is its ability to help manage recordkeeping. A significant amount of time and structure is devoted to keeping track of who is competent and trained, what certificates are expiring, and other endless regula- tory and operational requirements. Making a mistake in the collection or storage of these records can have disastrous consequences, but that does not alleviate the effort officers and administra- tors must devote to painful “paperwork.” Despite that, many operators are still using tools (often a combination of paper, email and Excel spreadsheets) that are not up to the task. Working with paper and spread- sheets is both inefficient and prone to error. Fortunately, an LMS can help, both on-board and ashore. The “M” in LMS is an explicit statement that the system helps with the “Management” of training--which consists of recordkeeping and reporting. So, what are these tools? LMS “MANAGEMENT” TOOLS Tracking Training Every LMS will automatical- ly record the training it delivers online. It will also provide reporting on when the training was done, how it went, and even provide deep details such as how long the trainee spent on each part of the course, what areas they did well on, and what aspects gave them trouble. Implementations differ, but some maritime-specific systems also have competency tracking functionality that Tools for Taming the “Paperwork Monster” By Murray Goldberg, Marine Learning Systems L E A R N MOR E AT SIMRAD-YACHTING.COM/HALO REVOLUTIONARY. See near and far, in an instant, with Halo Pulse Compression Radar.