NEW: Merchant Navy Training Programmes - Fact Sheet (added 18th January 2006) Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Merchant Navy Training Board Approved

SSTG arranges training programmes to provide successful candidates with the opportunity to pursue a career at sea. We also provide experienced seafarers with a programme of training to secure higher qualifications to progress their careers at sea.

To be eligible for Government educational funding all applicants must be a national of an EU state and be ordinarily resident in the UK at the time of application.

To achieve either a Deck Officer of the Watch certificate or an Engineer Officer of the Watch certificate new entrants follow approved training programmes. These programmes alternate between sea and college based phases.

Candidates are assessed through a combination of written examinations, course assignments, practical tests and an observation of performance. The award of a certificate of competency is completed by passing an oral examination by an MCA examiner.

As a new entrant officer cadet your time spent at college and all examination related costs will be funded by the company that recruited you and will sponsor you throughout your training. You will continue to be paid throughout your training, or receive a training allowance from your sponsor. All shipboard living and meal costs are paid.

The entry requirements that need to be met prior to recruitment as a cadet trainee include minimum academic qualifications and you will need to pass a Merchant Navy medical examination. Apart from a minimum entry age of sixteen all applicants are considered on their merits regardless of age.

“The Careers Service was helpful and prospects for engineer officers looked good. I held 'A' levels in Maths, Physics and Technology so applied and was accepted. I didn't find anything daunting in the procedure - it was all pretty straightforward.” Engineer Cadet now serving at sea as a junior officer

What is the Maritime & Coastguard Agency?

“Safer Lives, Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas”

The MCA is the official Agency responsible for implementing the Government’s maritime safety policy in the UK. As well as ensuring that all seafarers are trained to a good level of competency ensuring their safety and that of the crews and passengers for which they have responsibility, the Agency also ensures that ships operating along the coast and at sea are safe. The MCA also has responsibility to prevent coastal pollution.

The MCA oversees the written examinations undertaken and the oral examination required for certificates of competency, and awards those certificates. Completion of an approved training programme under the auspices of a registered sponsoring organisation, like the SSTG, is a prerequisite for the award of the certificate of competency .

Click here to visit the MCA web site.

What is the Merchant Navy Training Board?

The MNTB is committed to ensuring that national occupational standards for the merchant navy are continually developed and kept up to date. The Board works closely with the MCA to ensure that training programmes take proper account of current good practice, and international and national regulations governing safety at sea and the protection of the marine environment. The Board also publishes training information as part of the planned and structured programmes followed by new entrants to the industry.

Click here to visit the MNTB web site.