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Funding for maritime training to increase certified Australian seafarer workforce
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Maritime Skills and Training Initiative (MSTI) Program
The Maritime Skills and Training Initiative provides up to $13.8 million to assist trainee/cadet seafarers to obtain International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for Seafarers 1978 certification.
What do you get?
Funding, split over 4 years, with maximum grant amounts for each trainee/cadet applied for:
- Trainee - $102,000
- Deck Cadet - $187,500
- Engine Cadet and Electro-Technical Officers: $197,500.
The total maximum grant amount each financial year is $3.451 million.
Who is this for?
Employers of trainee/cadet seafarers including Group Training Organisations, Australian Maritime Safety Authority registered recruitment and placement service, shipping company or vessel operator.
About the program
The MSTI Program provides access to berths to complete sea time required to obtain International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for Seafarers 1978 certification.
The grant program addresses the recommendation of the Strategic Fleet Taskforce that the Australian Government should establish a scheme to provide financial assistance to organisations that provide berths for cadets and trainees to complete mandatory sea time requirements to obtain STCW certification.
The Taskforce was appointed to advise the Australian Government on establishing a strategic fleet of up to 12 Australian flagged and crewed vessels that will operate commercially and are able to be requisitioned by the government in a time of need.
The MSTI Program will assist approximately 20 trainee/cadet seafarers per year to access berths on board ships to complete sea time required for international certification.
The objectives of the program are:
- increase availability of training berths on vessels to ensure more Australian trainee/cadet seafarers can access sea time to complete their qualifications
- address the skills shortage of Australian seafarers certified to the STCW level in the Australian maritime industry
- respond to Australia’s maritime skills shortage and support the implementation of the strategic fleet.
The MSTI Program will run over 4 years from 2025-26 to 2028-29.
Contact
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Key documents
Trainee/cadet placements template
xlsx · 0.02 MBTrainee/cadet placements costs reporting template
xlsx · 0.02 MB