You have done four charter seasons of daywork and permanent junior stew roles. You can silver-serve, run a laundry and turn a cabin around in eleven minutes. And on paper you have nothing that says so. A certificate is what turns your competence into something a captain can hire on.
The GUEST Program
The GUEST Program (Guidelines for Unified Excellence in Service Training) is the industry framework for interior crew training. It is governed by IAMI, the International Association of Maritime Institutions, which accredits the training centres and approves the courses. The PYA is a partner in the programme, not the accrediting body.
Training is delivered as units, taken at IAMI-approved training centres, and combined with logged practical experience.
The four introductory units
| Unit | Title |
|---|---|
| Unit 23 | Introduction to Yachting & Yachting Life |
| Unit 32 | Basic Housekeeping & Laundry |
| Unit 02 | Basic Food & Beverage Service |
| Unit 03 | Basic Wine, Bartending & Mixology |
Together — with the required sea service and a completed training record — these support progression toward the Junior Steward(ess) Certificate of Competency. Higher GUEST units then build toward more senior interior certificates.
The Interior Training Record Book
Your Training Record Book (TRB) is the log of practical competence that sits alongside the classroom units. It is where you record tasks performed aboard and have them assessed and signed off by a competent senior crew member, typically your chief steward(ess).
- It converts "I've done a lot of laundry" into a signed, dated, witnessed record.
- It is portable — it travels with you across boats and across employers.
- It is evidence at assessment time, and it is evidence at interview.
Fill it in as you go. Nobody reconstructs eighteen months of tasks accurately at the end, and no chief stew will sign off on work she did not personally see.
How it all fits together
- Baseline documents — STCW Basic Safety, ENG1, Food Safety Level 2.
- Sea service — logged in your discharge book and your own records.
- GUEST units — completed at an IAMI-approved training centre.
- Training Record Book — practical competencies signed off aboard.
- → Junior Steward(ess) Certificate of Competency.
Onboard Notes
- These xplor lessons are preparatory study only. They are designed to help you learn and revise the Unit 23 subject matter. They do not confer a GUEST certificate or any part of one — that can only be awarded by an IAMI-approved training centre.
- Check the current unit requirements and any changes directly with an approved centre before you book. Programme details do change.
- Ask your chief stew early whether she is willing to assess and sign your TRB. Most are pleased to be asked; almost none will chase you for it.
- Never describe the programme as "PYA-accredited". It is IAMI-governed, and getting that wrong in an interview marks you as someone who has not done the reading.