Back in December 2005 the then shipping minister, Dr Stephen Ladyman MP launched a new vocationally related degree framework that has now become the standard entry route to a career with the British Merchant Navy.
The MN Foundation Degree framework has been developed by the Merchant Navy Training Board (
MNTB), the co-ordinating body for the development and promotion of education, training and qualifications for UK seafarers.
Throughout there has been close collaboration with employers, trade unions, the MCA and the nautical colleges to produce what MNTB Chairman Nigel Palmer describes as “the perfect vehicle for taking forward Merchant Navy officer training in the 21st century”.
Foundation degrees are a new type of degree, first delivered in 2001. There are currently some 50,000 people in the UK working towards the qualification spanning a wide range of subject areas and covering all sectors of industry.
2006 was the second year running in which over 600 new MN officer cadets were recruited in the UK, reversing more than a decade of decline. This year (2007) could see as many as 700 new MN officer cadets taken on. Given the expectation that this recruiting revival will be sustained, it is vital that the commercial shipping sector is able to compete in the employment market.
MSSC Director of Education Brian Thomas commented that there exists a consensus that the implementation of a foundation degree framework will markedly assist in the cause of attracting the brightest and best young talent to a career in the maritime sector.
Brian added: “In just over five years the commercial shipping fleet that is owned and managed in the UK has more than doubled in carrying capacity - and the UK-flagged fleet has more than quadrupled. Now we have in place a training framework of which we can be proud and which will help deliver the quality manpower needed by a vibrant and growing industry”.