A major national advertising campaign is helping to raise the profile of maritime careers across the UK – but it is the lived experience of seafarers visiting schools that is bringing those opportunities to life for young people. Deborah McPherson reports
The Merchant Navy Training Board's (MNTB) Careers at Sea initiative combines a large‑scale public awareness drive with a long‑established volunteer ambassador programme, supported by Nautilus International, to tackle what the industry calls sea blindness.
'Many people simply don't know how their goods get to them or that the Merchant Navy even exists as a career pathway,' says Susan Bell, MNTB's business operations and skills manager. 'So, we looked at how we could better promote both the importance of shipping and the wide range of careers available at sea.'
Following extensive research in 2023 and 2024 – including workshops with cadets, surveys and engagement with colleges and industry stakeholders – the MNTB reinvigorated the Careers at Sea programme. A new website and visual identity were launched in October 2024, alongside a dedicated national campaign to promote UK seafaring careers.
Underpinned by an ambitious advertising strategy, Careers at Sea messaging has appeared on bus stop roadside billboards around London, Glasgow, Belfast and Cardiff, and inside train carriages on railway networks around the UK. Buses in London and station platforms in London, Newcastle and Glasgow have also carried adverts promoting maritime careers. The campaign was also supported by digital and social media content. It even featured on pitch‑side advertising during the Scotland versus Australia rugby international at Murrayfield, broadcast on the BBC.
In its first year, the national campaign reached more than 20 million people online, with over 90 million 'out‑of‑home' advertising impacts such as the bus stop and train coach adverts. Crucially, engagement levels were particularly high among under‑30s.
'The messaging was designed to make people stop and question what they're seeing,' Ms Bell explains. 'Phrases like "Just big ships?" are meant to draw people in and encourage them to find out more about shipping and about the career opportunities behind it.'
Long‑term backing for the initiative has now been secured, with the Maritime Educational Foundation committing up to £1.2 million in funding through to 2029. This substantial support will allow the MNTB to continually refine its messaging based on ongoing research into how people discover maritime careers and what motivates them to pursue life at sea, says Ms Bell.
But she is clear that national advertising alone cannot do all the work.
'As powerful as the campaign is, nothing replaces someone standing in front of a class and talking about their own experiences,' she says. 'That's where our ambassadors are absolutely essential.'
Around 160 Careers at Sea Ambassadors are currently active across the UK and Northern Ireland. They are serving and former seafarers from across the industry who volunteer to visit schools, colleges and youth groups, sharing real‑world insight into training routes, working life and career progression.
One of those ambassadors is Nautilus member Phil Johnson, a former chief engineer who now works as a marine surveyor. Mr Johnson volunteers locally in Kent, visiting secondary schools and colleges, often drawing on his own career journey from working onboard to his current shoreside role.
'I've had a wonderful career at sea and in the industry as a whole,' he says. 'That really motivated me to get involved, knowing there are people out there who don't even know this career exists.'
Mr Johnson grew up in Dover, surrounded by cross‑Channel ferry traffic, and initially set his sights on working on passenger vessels but after securing an engineering cadetship with a cruise company, his career took him across cruise ships, passenger ships, and offshore vessels, eventually gaining the rank of chief engineer.
When speaking to young people, he finds curiosity comes quickly – frequently starting with unexpected topics.
'There are always lots of questions about the Titanic,' Mr Johnson laughs. 'It's a great icebreaker, if you will excuse the pun. From there, it's easy to talk about safety at sea, regulations and how the industry learned from past disasters, such as how this largest ship of the world, at the time, which was supposedly unsinkable, actually sank.'
Practical concerns are common too, especially around swimming ability and seasickness.
'Those things can worry young people,' he says, 'but they're not deal‑breakers. You don't have to be an Olympic swimmer – you can learn to swim, you just need basic water confidence, and seasickness can usually be managed. These are not reasons not to go to sea.'
Johnson also explains his current role to school students as a marine surveyor by focusing on safety and environmental responsibility.
'I tell them my job is to make sure ships are safe, seaworthy and following the rules – not polluting the sea or the air. They really respond to that, especially when we start talking about sustainability and future fuels.'
For Mr Johnson, volunteering is as rewarding as it is important. 'I always come away feeling really positive about the young people I meet,' he says. 'When they engage and start asking questions, that's incredibly satisfying.'
The MNTB continues to recruit new ambassadors and is particularly keen to hear more from crew who work as ETO'sor in engineering. Volunteering is not onerous. There is a minimum commitment of just one hour per year. New initiatives such as an Ambassador of the Year award and informal challenges such as the Ambassadors' Cup Challenge are helping to build a sense of community among volunteers. The cup challenge, started in March 2026 during National Careers' Week, encourages volunteers to take a photo of themselves with a branded coffee cup wherever they have been. There is an opportunity to win £50 vouchers and that challenge is open until September 2026.
'The campaign opens the door,' Ms Bell says. 'But ambassadors are the ones who walk into schools and show young people what a career at sea really looks like.'
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