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Vessel Readiness
Certification Program |
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ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS: TUITION: ONLY IF USING THE POSTAL SERVICE: Two First Class Stamps (or a two ounce stamp) will be sent along with each packet. No other tuition is required. DO NOT SEND A SASE! I refuse to fold these certificates!
TUITION WAIVER: If you choose to
participate in the VRCP entirely on-line and can print out the diplomas I e-mail
you, you do not have to send postage. INTRODUCTION In the ages before starships roamed space, the US Navy required that each of its ships pass a series of tests or drills in order to become certified for sea duty. A Starship, Space Station, or other Vessel should also pass inspection before it is put into service. Each department and ultimately the entire vessel can earn its certification. This series of certifications is to be earned through the efforts of the entire Starfleet crew of a Starfleet Vessel (hereafter referred to as "Ship".)
The purpose of this program is to combine the efforts of Starfleet crews taking Academy
classes (SFA or SFMCA). In the
past, members took classes individually for their own edification, receiving promotion points for earning each
diploma. (OTS and OCC were the only Academy courses that affected the entire Vessel.) The VRCP is designed to
provide a platform in which Starfleet members can pool their diplomas for the good of the ship.
APPLICATION PACKET The CO of the Ship or a Designated Certification Officer should submit all applications for your Vessel. You may apply to the VRCP in two ways: 1 If you apply on the Starfleet Academy application, I will e-mail this URL to you. 2. You may e-mail or mail me directly requesting an Application Packet by snail mail. Include postage for two ounces if by postal mail. You may submit all your forms by e-mail and receive your diplomas by attachments and print them out on your own printer. If you choose to participate in the VRCP entirely on-line and can print out the diplomas I e-mail you, you do not have to send postage. The CO will list and affirm via e-mail that each diploma has been earned. Name of Recipient, Diploma Date, and Name of school must be listed on the forms. Return your Vessel Profile with your first Departmental Application. Return each Departmental Application with a list of required diplomas When all of your departments are certified, submit the Vessel Readiness Certification application and a list of all the certifications. Include ONE FIRST CLASS STAMP only if you want the VRC mailed. HOW IT WORKS The entire Starfleet crew will fulfill the requirements by pooling their diplomas or confirmations from classes they took at Starfleet Academy (SFA) and Starfleet Marine Academy (SFMCA). (The VRCP does not administer its own exam.)
The Vessel can certify one or more departments at a time. Once all existing departments of a Vessel are
certified, the Vessel will receive a
Starfleet
Vessel Readiness Certificate,
which may
be updated as conditions on the
Vessel change. Department Readiness Certificates include:
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
CURRENT CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Command Readiness Certification:
Operations (OPS) Readiness Certification: Choice of 4 diplomas from:
Communications Readiness Certification: Choice of 4 diplomas from:
Security Readiness Certifications: Choice of 4 diplomas from:
Tactical Readiness Certifications: Choice of 4 diplomas from:
Intelligence Readiness Certification: Choice of 4 diplomas from:
Engineering Readiness Certification: Choice of 4 diplomas from:
Counselors or Chaplains Readiness Certification: Choice of 4 diplomas from:
Science Readiness Certification: Choice of 4 diplomas from:
Medical Readiness Certification: Choice of 4 diplomas from:
Marine Strike Group Certification: Choice of 4 diplomas/confirmations from:
Cadet Corps Readiness Certification: Choice of 4 diplomas from:
Diplomatic Corps Readiness Certification: Choice of 4 diplomas from:
Education-Recreation (EDREC) Readiness Certification: Choice of 4 diplomas from:
COMMON CONDITIONS - FAQ 1. WE DON'T HAVE THAT DEPARTMENT. A vessel does not have to certify departments it does not have (due to lack of members or by design) in order to earn her Starfleet Vessel Readiness Certificate. Unmanned departments may be certified. Your departments must be listed in your Vessel Profile. 2. WE HAVE A COMBINED DEPARTMENT. Combined departments may take half of their requirements from one department and the other half from the other department. (example: A combined Security-Ops Department may choose two diplomas from the requirements for the Security Department and two diplomas from the requirements for the Ops Department.) 3. WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MEMBERS IN A DEPARTMENT. Diplomas may be submitted from members of ANY department to certify ANY department. If you only have one Medical Officer, diplomas may be used from other crewmembers to certify the Medical Department. This is a ship-wide effort, not a departmental effort. You may certify unmanned departments for future use. 4. WE CAN'T EARN THAT MANY DIPLOMAS! A required diploma may be used to fulfill more than one certification. The ship does not have to earn diplomas for any class more than once. Just re-submit the diploma for each relevant certification the ship is applying for. A good strategy is to collect all the copies of all the diplomas earned by your crew. Make about 3 copies of each. Lay them out according to department and mix and match till you meet the requirements. 5. CAN I SEND IN IDENTICAL DIPLOMA PACKETS FOR TWO DEPARTMENTS? The "diploma packet" submitted for one department must differ by at least two classes (one class for ships-in-training and preships-in-training) from the diploma packet in another application. For example: a ship may not apply for both the Security and the Tactical Certifications with the same four diplomas. Two diplomas for Tactical must differ from the diplomas for Security. (ships-in-training and preships-in-training must differ by one.) The difference in diplomas can be either a different choice in class or a difference in who earned the diploma. 6. TWO MEMBERS HAVE DIPLOMAS FROM THE SAME CLASS. CAN BOTH OF THEM BE USED? The two diplomas may be used to certify DIFFERENT departments. For example: Two members took Basic Survival, Bachelors level. Both diplomas may NOT be submitted for a single department. One may be submitted for Science and the other one for Command, the MSG or Security. 7. ONE OR TWO OFFICERS CAN CERTIFY MOST OF THE DEPARTMENTS. Diplomas must be submitted from as many different members as possible. A Commissioned Vessel should have at least four different people working together to certify the entire ship. (A ship-in-training should have at least three and a preship-in-training should have at least two.) Although some specialized departments (Medical, Security, Counselors, etc) might submit four diplomas from one person, if at all possible, diplomas should come from several members. 8. WHAT ABOUT FORMER MEMBERS? Diplomas must have been earned by a current member of the ship. The diploma is valid even if the member is no longer a Starfleet International member. If you have a valuable former member, it might be advantageous to get that person back on the duty roster, even if only by correspondence. 9. IS THERE A TIME LIMIT ON DIPLOMAS? Diplomas may have been earned at any time in the past, by any current member of the ship, from any department. (If a current ship member earned a diploma in 1979, then it is valid, whether or not the person is a current Starfleet member.) 10. A NEW ACADEMY CLASS IS NOT LISTED IN THE REQUIREMENTS. New Academy Classes crop up all the time. If you come across one that is not yet listed in the requirements, contact me and we will decide where that class belongs. All Academy classes will be counted somewhere in the Certification Program. 11. HOW DO WE KEEP UP WHEN THE REQUIREMENTS KEEP CHANGING? If any requirement changes have changed the way you want to divide up your diplomas, eg you like the idea of an Intelligence Dept. but did not have it listed on your Vessel Profile, or you listed EdRec as a dept. and now one of the diplomas is listed elsewhere, SUBMIT AN UPDATED VESSEL PROFILE. You can update your Vessel Profile at any time. If you already received a Departmental Readiness Certificate, you do not need to update it unless you want to. 12. HOW DO WE UPDATE OUR CERTIFICATIONS? A ship holding a Starfleet Vessel Readiness Certification may update departmental certifications as crew rotates and new departments are formed. The ship does NOT have to start all over. A ship-in-training that graduates to a commissioned Vessel may update its certifications by submitting the additional diplomas required for that department. Credit is given for any diplomas already in the Vessel's file. A new Vessel Profile must be sent. If your Vessel has restructured (added or lost departments) and you want to update any of your certifications, submit an updated Vessel Profile and indicate which Departments are being updated or added. A vessel that has decommissioned and later recommissioned must start over. 13. WE HAVE CERTIFIED ALL OUR DEPARTMENTS. NOW WHAT? Once all of your departments are certified, the CO or Designated Officer will submit a list of all Certifications on the application for the Vessel Readiness Certification. Although I have files on each Vessel in the program, sending a list of the Department Certifications insures that my records agree with yours. VESSELS WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE VRCP
APPLICATIONS revised 4/16/08 |
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