Pre-sea courses are the entry route to a career at sea, taken before a first ship. Typically 6 months.
General Purpose Rating is the entry route to a career at sea for those joining as ratings rather than officers. The six-month residential course trains for both deck and engine room work — seamanship, mooring and cargo handling, workshop and machinery maintenance, and the mandatory safety courses — so a GP rating can be employed in either department.
Employment as a rating. With sea service, a rating can later work towards officer certification.
10th pass is the minimum, and most institutes admit on that basis. An ITI qualification is not required, though some shipping companies prefer it.
Approvals and durations as published by DG Shipping, and the duration can differ between institutes. Fees and batch dates are set by the institute.