Study supporting a possible network of maritime training academies and institutes in the Mediterranean Sea basin : final report

This study aims to provide policy makers with an assessment of the feasibility, added value and available options for promoting cooperation between institutions providing education and training for marine and maritime professions. An overall 355 educational and training institutes have been mapped across 21 Mediterranean countries, both in higher education and in VET. The maritime education and training offer appears rather fragmented and traditional - and does not fully match the requirements of tomorrow's Blue Economy. The cooperation landscape consists of both project-based as well as structural initiatives, with a focus more so on higher education than on VET. Despite the many barriers identified, a strong interest in cooperation and integration exists amongst practitioners - as has been confirmed during five focus group sessions and one validation workshop held in Athens, Barcelona, Genova, Larnaca, Rome and Valletta. The research and subsequent exchanges have led to a 'Passage Plan', consisting of principles for action, and recommendations both for policy makers and practitioners. Most strategic is the recommendation to establish a Forum for Maritime Education and Training in the Mediterranean, and to make use of the Union for the Mediterranean Framework to host this initiative. Another ten recommendations are made for practitioners who wish to engage in such cooperation.