Food is crucial to maintaining the health and morale of crews. Without safe, nutritious and appealing food, seafarers would not be able to perform their duties effectively on board ship. The Training Record Book for Ships’ Cooks is the first global resource to help ships’ cooks demonstrate competency and record their training experience as they develop their careers. It is based on the International Labour Organization (ILO) Guidelines on the training of ships’ cooks, which implements the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) Regulation 3.2.

Covering both practical and safety skills, the Training Record Book for Ships’ Cooks can be used by an individual to demonstrate that they have followed a structured training programme and understand the core competencies required to safely prepare nutritious and appropriate food during a voyage. It is designed to be used by those training as ships’ cooks as well as those whose duties are to assist in the galley area, either to cover for the ship’s cook when they are on a rest day or to work on a ship which, by virtue of the size of the crew or the trading pattern, may not be required by the competent authority to carry a fully qualified cook.

A section is included at the end of this Record Book to record any additional competencies identified by flag State authorities.