The Brits Turn Again to the Sea

The number of people applying to train to become an officer in the British Merchant Navy is at a 10 year high, says the non-profit 'Sea Vision' which promotes careers and education for young people in the maritime sector, as follows:

Glasgow based Clyde Marine Training, the largest provider of officer training in the UK, reported that they have received over 5,000 applications this year alone, an 11% increase on last year and a 27% increase on 10 years ago. Not only has the number increased the quality of applicant has too, with more applicants having achieved 3 or more passes in A-Level, or equivalent standard, this year than ever before.

It’s not all good news though as Training Officer Lesley Ellis who is responsible for engineering Trainees at City of Glasgow College and also Trainees at the National Maritime College of Ireland explains: “For Professional Diploma or Foundation Degree Officer Trainees we require applicants to have Higher or A-Level Maths and preferably Physics as well, but we haven't seen an increase in applicants achieving this. There is a big demand for Trainees in the Merchant Navy – especially engineers – and studying the relevant subjects such as maths opens up so many career doors for people”.

Clyde Marine Training now provides around 50% of all British Merchant Navy cadets and work closely with schools and colleges right across the UK, however the traditional port towns still provide the bulk of the applicants, mainly from towns with a nautical heritage: Glasgow, Belfast, Southampton and Liverpool as well as areas like Tyneside and the Hebrides.

Of the 5,000 applicants 310 were accepted onto training places, most beginning their three year training in September.

For information about sponsorship visit: http://www.clydemarinetraining.com/

Source: Sea Vision