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New funding to teach young people about maritime

Posted on Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Lessons to raise awareness of the maritime sector and the importance of shipping.

  • government funding for schools to teach children the importance of shipping to the UK
  • programme will teach skills such as learning to build and use a compass
  • part of the Department for Transport's Maritime 2050 strategy, which sets out a vision for the industry's future

Thousands of children across the UK could be inspired to take up a career in maritime thanks to lessons being rolled out across the country.

Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani announced £40,000 of funding for expanding the Why Shipping Matters programme during a lesson at St Peter's London Docks Primary School today (9 July 2019). The funding will allow the lessons to be developed for use in secondary schools.

The lessons, developed by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, aim to raise awareness of the maritime sector and the importance of shipping, and will be available to primary and secondary schools.

Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani said:

Shipping is crucial to the vitality of the UK - bringing in the food and goods we buy as well as energy to power our homes.

I am always excited to see children's enthusiasm for ships and maritime, and I hope this programme will inspire them to consider a future career in the industry.

Pupils will learn how to make a compass and be taught how they allow vessels to navigate around the world as well as understanding the values of commodities that are shipped across the globe.

Julie Lithgow, Director of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, said:

The Institute has, for more than 100 years, inspired new generations to develop their knowledge of the commercial maritime world, albeit young people at the start of their professional careers.

With this new project we'll be developing an interest in our sector, and an understanding of its fundamental role in our world in the youngest of our society.

The enthusiastic curiosity and creativity of the primary school children who have been part of the project so far has inspired us to roll it out to the South Coast, Merseyside and the North East of England.

Today's funding shows the government's commitment to deliver the recommendations laid out in  Maritime 2050.

This long-term strategy includes a vision for the future of the UK maritime sector. It recommends that more is done now to promote the maritime sector in schools so that we grow and nurture a skilled workforce for the future.

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