You’ll begin your career at Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) in Dartmouth, developing your leadership, communication and teamwork skills. Your ten weeks at BRNC will give you an introduction to the Naval Service and you’ll get the chance to put your new skills into practice during exercises on the River Dart before being part of the passing out parade where your family and friends will have the opportunity to witness you completing the first element of your training.
From BRNC, you’ll join cadets from other parts of the Merchant Navy (MN) at one of the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) accredited training establishments to begin your three-year course. Depending on your qualifications, you can follow one of two academic routes, leading to either a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Nautical Science or a Foundation Degree (FD) in Marine Operations. Whichever route you follow you’ll also be working towards your Certificate of Competency: Officer of the Watch qualification which allows you to work on a MN ship. The training is phased so you’ll get the opportunity to spend plenty of time onboard ship shadowing qualified officers and working on your task book to ensure you gain full knowledge of ship systems and operations.
There's also a swimming test, so if you can't swim, make sure you learn by the time you join us.
