Navigate your way to a maritime career
A good grounding in maths and sciences provides an excellent foundation – although these are not required for all routes to a maritime career. After completing your GCSEs or Scottish Standard Grades, you need to decide whether to stay in formal education or to come into the maritime world through an apprenticeship or other training programme.
If you are choosing A-Levels or Scottish Highers (or the International Baccalaureate), then maths and sciences will be very valuable to you. For those looking at taking any vocational A-Levels, the new ones in science, engineering, the built environment, business, leisure and recreation, and information technology could be useful.
 Vocational Training – what’s available?
BTEC Nationals, City & Guilds courses, NVQs/SVQs and apprenticeships are available in various maritime industries – particularly marine leisure and sea-going.
Specific NVQs and SVQs include those in boat building, fish husbandry, vessel operations, marine engineering, port operations and international trade and services (ie import/ export business). Other more general NVQs/SVQs such as engineering, IT, insurance, management, sport and recreation would be useful for a variety of maritime-related careers.
Specific apprenticeships include fish farming, sea fishing, port operations, international trade and services and marine industry boat building and repair. General apprenticeships are in electrotechnical, engineering, sports and recreation, IT and insurance.
Apprenticeships can also be a route to higher education, either through a normal degree course or new programmes such as foundation degrees and graduate apprenticeships. There are also a wide variety of training programmes to develop skills in navigation, sailing and seamanship, particularly through the Royal Yachting Association certification structure.
Higher Education – what to choose?
With a wide range of higher education courses you might decide to do a specific degree course leading to a particular career such as naval architecture, maritime law, oceanography, environment and coastal management, and marine leisure management.
Or you could choose a more general degree such as nautical science, maritime studies, marine engineering, marine technology and marine science, for example, to open doors to a range of career opportunities.
Foundation Degrees are available in the Royal Navy, those for the merchant navy will be available from September 2006, and other maritime-related Foundation Degrees are currently under development.
To find out more talk to your careers advisor, take a look at relevant websites and attend careers fairs – as well as having a good read through this magazine!
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