Our campaigns in recent years has helped to significantly boost funding for UK cadets and develop an improved 'gold standard' syllabus for British maritime colleges – but did we get everything we wanted? Rob Coston finds out
Back in 2022, institutions from Nautilus International to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) celebrated an announcement from the UK government that it would henceforth provide 50% funding for the country's cadets – up from the previous 30% subsidy.
This represented a £13 million increase in funding for rating and officer cadet training – and a major win after years of campaigning from the Union. The cadet funding applies to anyone studying at an MCA-approved college for an academic qualification that leads to the issue of an UK Unlimited Certificate of Competency. The maritime companies who sponsor cadets claim the money via tonnage tax arrangements, including the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme.
How we achieved wins for members
The funding increase came from the work of the Maritime Skills Commission (MSC) – a UK industry body set up by the government in 2020 to review and reform how seafarers are trained, recruited, and retained. We were able to play a leading role, with the then general secretary Mark Dickinson appointed to the body as one of its commissioners. He was able to bring cadets' concerns about poor-quality training, exploitation and the need for sustainable maritime careers to what could otherwise have been an employer-led discussion.
As well as the funding increase, the MSC's report (issued in 2021) had other positive results. One of its most significant outcomes was the creation of the Cadet Training and Modernisation Programme (CT&M), which was tasked with the introduction of a revised and future-proofed training syllabus – building an enhanced UK curriculum that went a long way beyond the international STCW minimum standards.
This new syllabus was implemented in September 2025. The majority of recommendations relating directly to training and syllabus development have now been put into practice, with extensive input from Nautilus to ensure the cadet experience is providing the training that future maritime professionals will need in their careers. Work is now ongoing to modernise assessment processes.
We maintain our position that there should be 100% state funding and a single national training provider Maritime skills commissioner Mark Dickinson
What we're still fighting for
Despite the successes, many recommendations have not been acted upon. These include:
● full (100%) government funding of cadet training
● improvement of sea time experience and obligations on sponsors
● system-level reform such as a national coordinating body
● removing structural barriers that set cadet training apart from mainstream further and higher education pathways
A lack of further funding from government stopped the final phase of the MSC project from being completed.
Mark Dickinson says that the campaign must continue in the coming years: 'We maintain our position that the recommendations of the MSC Seafarer Cadet Training Review should be implemented in full, including 100% funding for cadet training and a new National Maritime Training Organisation to oversee cadet training and ensure that they have a better training experience and jobs when they qualify.'
Where we are now
The argument for increased investment in maritime cadetships remains strong. On the MSC's key ask of 100% funding, comparisons with other countries – many of which provide full funding for maritime training – underpin calls for change. In the past, state aid rules within the European Union were frequently cited as a constraint. However, with the UK no longer bound by those frameworks, there is, in principle, greater flexibility to design a more generous funding model. To date, though, there appears to be limited political appetite to pursue such an approach.
The latest eight-year review of the SMarT funding scheme, published on 13 April 2026, demonstrates this lack of enthusiasm for change. The report shows that from 2016 to 2024, SMarT contributed more than £500m to the UK economy from a cost of £177m to the public and £10m to the private sector. This equates to a return of £4.78 for every £1 spent. The conclusion from this seems to be that the the current 50% funding has been a success, meaning that it is likely to be retained by government for the foreseeable future.
Likewise, the MSC's push for a national training provider is unlikely to lead anywhere for now. Nautilus will continue to campaign, however – and we know that it is important to continue fighting for members on all these issues even if there is no immediate hope for change.
We're also pleased to report a recent win from our ongoing campaigning. A new mechanism is to be introduced that will ensure that the funding keeps up with inflation. This adjustment reflects a compromise position, acknowledging Nautilus members' concerns that existing funding levels have not kept pace with rising costs.
Sea time shift in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, maritime cadetships are funded very differently from the UK's SMarT model. Instead of the state-subsidised, employer-sponsored system seen in the UK, Dutch cadets typically follow a front-loaded secondary or higher education route through maritime academies, and funding is largely treated like mainstream studies. This means students often pay for their education via the Dutch student finance system (loans and grants). The cost is often around €2,000 per year, though many students may receive additional assistance from means-tested grants.
For onboard training, the Dutch system uses industry integration rather than sponsorship. Cadets complete structured sea time placements as part of their degree, arranged through colleges and industry links, and these placements often lead directly to employment.
In the Netherlands, our work on behalf of cadets is conducted mainly with employers at the 'organising' level. That often includes collective bargaining on allowances and conditions, as well as helping with individual issues – for example, ensuring a cadet has a sea time berth and ensuring protection and welfare – and providing all the regular support that any other full member would receive. Last year, the Union, in its role as a social partner, cooperated with shipowners to set up a helpline for cadets.
However, in Netherlands we are also working to make one major change at the 'industry' level, which would affect all employers. Currently, Dutch cadets are expected to complete their mandatory sea time in two periods – spending around five months onboard each time. The average qualified seafarer is more often onboard for three or four months, so the plan is to allow cadets to split their 10 months' sea time into a more manageable three periods rather than two.
This is part of a broader campaign to attract and retain more young people in the industry. We are also pressing the Dutch government to release defence funding for the promotion of jobs in maritime, since seafarers are so important for national resilience in times of crisis.
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