Funding your maritime training

We do everything we can to encourage professional development and offer every possible support to seafarers and maritime professionals who want to improve their skills and career prospects. One of the many way we do this is through the scholarships and bursaries we offer.

We have a range of scholarships and bursaries to assist with cost of your maritime training and further career development. From time to time, we receive grants from organisations that support our vision to help seafarers progress in their maritime career.  This could not continue without their generous support.

Our scholarships and bursaries support seafarers and maritime professionals at various stage in your career whether you need financial help to take a course that is essential to work at sea or to progress your maritime career with academic studies.

We offer four funds and each of them supports a different training or career development need, with its own set of criteria:

Hanway Scholarship is aimed at seafarers who need to take qualifications essential to work at sea or to support seafarers with their continuing professional development where there is no support from their employer/ship owner.  Maximum award £500.00.

Green Skills Bursary support seafarers who are looking to retrain or obtain qualifications that will equip them to work in the offshore and renewable sector. Maximum award £500.00

JW Slater Scholarship helps Ratings (Deck and Engine) aspiring to qualify for their first Officer of the Watch Certificate of Competency and Electro Technical Officers, Yacht and Workboat crew gain STCW certification. Maximum award £18,500.

Worcester Scholarship aimed at the qualified mariner who wishes to gain a higher academic qualification in the maritime field – such as a BEng (Hons) or BSc(Hons) in Maritime Operations or Marine Engineering – which would lead on to a continued career in the maritime industry. It may also be awarded to a seafarer for a higher professional qualification beyond OOW unlimited, where there is no support from their employer/ship owner. Maximum award £750.00.

The Guild of Benevolence, partner charity of the IMarEST are making grants of £750 available to those studying for the MCA Certificate of Competency Management Level III/2 Engineering Knowledge. This grant is intended for anyone who might be affected by a loss of earnings, as a result of any unpaid leave from active service that is necessary to study for the certificate.

To apply for this grant please click here.

• Funding
  • Who can apply for a scholarship or bursary?

    You must be a British Seafarer or maritime professional and permanently resident in the UK for the past three years or more, aged 18 years or older (21 years or older for the JW Slater scholarship).

  • I need to revalidate my STCW basic safety certificates, can you help?

    Yes, our Hanway scholarship offers a maximum of £500.00 to help offset the cost of any MCA approved courses that are essential to your role, working at sea.

  • I want to do a degree, can you help with the cost?

    Yes, our Worcester scholarship will offer up to £750 towards the cost of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a maritime related subject.

  • I want to move into the offshore sector, can you help fund a course I need to have?

    Yes, our Green Skills Bursary can assist with the cost of required GWO or OPITO courses.  The Fund will only assist with courses on our approved list, visit the Green Skills page.

  • I am new to the industry and need to take some essential courses to work at sea, can you help?

    Yes, we recommend that you look at our range of apprenticeships instead. They will fund all the training required for a specific role and help you gain valuable work experience at the same time.

  • How many courses can I get help with?

    Our funds are limited and we want to help as many seafarers as possible, therefore, each scholarship can only help offset the cost one course even if it cost less than the maximum award, with the exception of the Slater Fund. You should be prepared to cover any difference in the course fee yourself.

  • I am away at work, can I take the course in another country?

    No, all courses must be taken at MCA approved training providers within the UK.

  • I need to do a course soon, how do I apply for funding?

    Each scholarship/bursary has its own application form so you must first decide which fund you are applying for and check that you meet the criteria. The application form is available on the respective webpage to download and complete.  You can submit it via email or post and must include a copy of CV and passport.

  • How long does it take to get a decision back on my application?

    Applications are normally assessed within 10 working days and you will be notified by email. The JW Slater Scholarship award is different and has two assessments period per year. Please check the webpage for details of dates.

  • I received a bursary previously that really helped me out, can I apply for further help?

    No, you cannot apply for the same scholarship or bursary more than once.  However, if you need support from one of our other scholarships or bursaries you must wait for at least 24 months before submitting an application.  The outcome of your last award and subsequent progress will be considered in any new application.

  • I just booked and paid for a course, can I apply for funding?

    No, it is not policy to award a scholarship or bursary retrospectively where a course has already been booked, paid for or undertaken.