The funding for maritime education will be doubled

According to the Government the educations of naval officers is of crucial importance for strengthening the armed forces. Therefore the funding for the educations at Chalmers and Linnaeus University will be doubled from 2024. But younger people needs to apply to the educations in greater extent.

The grant for naval officer training at Chalmers University of Technology and the Maritime University at Linnaeus University will be increased by SEK 3.75 million each next year, and by SEK 7.5 million from 2024 onwards.

“This doesn't mean that we’ll be rolling in cash suddenly. There are plenty of holes to fill in. We've had our nose above the surface of the water on and off, but now we can float properly and go plus or minus zero on the educations”, says Fredrik Olindersson , head of the department for maritime studies at Chalmers University of Technology.

He also sees great value in the fact that the government has now expressed that the educations are important for Sweden. Hopefully, it can attract more young people to apply for maritime training.

“The armed forces have previously had difficulty recruiting, but since the government and others have expressed that it is important, the applications have started to pour in. So if the government continues to say that shipping is important, it can attract more young people to us. But the shipping industry must also ensure that it is an attractive employer and we must ensure that the training is of the highest quality”, says Fredrik Olindersson.

The government has realized that more Swedish-flagged ships are needed to secure transport. But more Swedish-flagged ships are also needed to attract young people to the maritime education programmes..

“A few years ago, it was obvious that you got a job when you finished your education. But the fewer Swedish-flagged ships there are, the fewer positions are available, especially for junior officers”, says Angela Jenhed, who worked for a long time with staff recruitment at Stena.

But it's not all about the ships – Swedish competence is also important for shipping companies.

“If we are to be able to supply the shipping offices with competence, we must ensure that more people are educated. Not all naval officers will stay at sea and the offices are happy to recruit people with a few years' experience as naval officers on board. It is difficult to make the bridge between office and ship work if you do not speak the same language and have an understanding of what is happening on board”, says Angela Jenhed.