Maritime Skills

Course description

Develop key skills essential for progressing to employment in the wide-ranging maritime sector.

The maritime sector includes commercial sea fishing, the Royal Navy, the Merchant Navy, Maritime Search and Rescue, marine leisure, ports and harbours.

This course will allow candidates to start to develop the general and practical skills, and the knowledge and understanding, needed to work in the maritime sector. On successful completion of the course you will have gained a recognised SQA qualification, and will be in a strong position for progressing towards further maritime training or employment after leaving school.

Throughout the course you will develop a range of key transferrable skills, including self-management, organisational and planning skills, and strong commercial awareness.

The course is made up of the following units:

1. Seamanship: An Introduction
2. Maritime Environment: An Introduction
3. Small Boat Engineering
4. Health and Safety in the Maritime Sector
5. Employability Skills and Careers in the Maritime Sector

Course content will give you the opportunity to explore a wide variety of career opportunities — local, national and global — in the maritime sector. The course will enable you to:

Teaching methods will include theory and practical activities, and you will be taught in the practical net hall and classrooms at the Scottish Maritime Academy in Peterhead. Throughout the course you will be offered the opportunity to review and identify how your skills are developing. You will be expected to demonstrate:

To achieve the full qualification, you must attend regularly and successfully complete all units. Assessment will be based on a range of classroom-based and practical activities in the net hall. The Assessors will observe you whilst you undertake various tasks, and you will be expected to demonstrate an awareness of health and safety throughout.

Whilst you are taking part in the course you will be required to provide and wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including safety boots and boiler suit.

Learning outcome

Progression:

Whether you wish to progress in your studies or enter the world of work, North East Scotland College has excellent progression opportunities, with links to eight universities across Scotland and great relationships with industry employers.

Upon successful completion of this course, you could consider Modern Apprenticeship opportunities or may be able to progress to a full-time course at North East Scotland College. Alternatively you could pursue opportunities in training as a trainee deckhand.

If you would like to progress directly to work upon completion of your course, you can pursue a range of positions in the maritime sector including work in: