Introducing Your Child to the Maritime Industry

Introducing Your Child to the Maritime Industry - 13/11/2019

If your child has expressed an interest in engineering, navigation, electronics or any aspect of the maritime industry and you are looking into how best to support their ambition or simply nurturing their curiosity. This article provides links to a new age-appropriate education resource from Trinity House and will help you understand how to help them access the maritime industry.

Your child showing an interest in the disciplines of the merchant navy is highly exciting. The Merchant Navy offers a wide range of opportunities that lead to lucrative and exciting careers that often includes traveling the world.

What’s more, the education routes to becoming an electro-technical officer, deck officer, or engineering officer are often paid opportunities called maritime cadetships, sponsored by maritime charities and maritime companies.

Educating Yourself

First, as an educator, you must understand what the merchant navy is. At Chiltern Maritime, we have created a resource for you to understand what the merchant navy is, the disciplines, the departments, and the onboard hierarchy.

Find out more

Educating your Child

“Buoys, Beacons and Bananas” is a new educational resource including slides, teachers’ notes, videos, worksheets and games created by Trinity House, a charity sponsorship partner to Chiltern Maritime, to help young learners understand the importance of the sea to our island nation.

These resources are divided up into age-appropriate interactive PDFs for Key Stage 1 (age 5-7), Key Stage 2 (age 7-11), and Key Stage 3 (age 11-14).

Find out more

Requirements to Join the Merchant Navy

The best route to join the merchant navy as an electrical officer, deck officer or engineering officer is with a merchant navy cadetship in the respective discipline.

A merchant navy cadetship is a paid higher education training program that incorporates elements of academic education with vocational education including international sea placements. Here at Chiltern Maritime, we have an industry-beating 85% graduation rate.

Maritime cadetships are a viable alternative to university and can be studied at three levels; HND, Foundation Degree, Honours Degree.

The typical eligibility requirements for a merchant navy HND cadetship are*:

English GCSE – Grade A – B
Mathematics GCSE – Grade A – B
Physics or Combined Science GCSE – Grades A – C
Two additional GCSE subjects – Grades A – C
Seafarer Medical Examination – Pass**

The typical eligibility requirements for a merchant navy foundation degree cadetship are*:

English GCSE – Grade A – B
Mathematics GCSE – Grade A – B
Physics or Combined Science GCSE – Grades A – C
Two additional GCSE subjects – Grades A – C
120 UCAS points in unspecified subjects at ‘A’ Level or equivalent.
Seafarer Medical Examination – Pass**

*Based on the eligibility requirements of the Trinity House Merchant Navy Scholarship Scheme. Other sponsors may vary.
**For prospective Deck Officer Cadets, this will include a colour and form vision test to demonstrate the absence of any colour deficiency.

Useful resource: How to Apply to for a Cadetship

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