The federal US Merchant Marine Academy and the six state maritime academies are the primary sources of licensed officers sailing onboard US flag commercial vessels, as well as government-owned vessels supporting US military logistics. Similar to other institutions of higher learning, the academies are experiencing a decline in enrollment and students electing to participate in the merchant marine license programs. There are several well-documented reasons for this decline:
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Demographic shifts in the US population of school-age children
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Changes in attitudes about the value of higher education
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High cost of college and the economy
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Lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic
The short-term result is that there are fewer high school graduates and fewer choosing to attend college, and still fewer interested in a regimented environment at the maritime academies. The long-term impact is that there will continue to be a decline in the total number of licensed mariners graduating each year. At the same time, there will be an increased demand for mariners. What should be done to address the need for a healthy supply of mariners essential for our national economy and defense?
First, we need a national marketing campaign to attract people to the mariner profession. The US Maritime Administration should lead this effort as it is central to its mission to foster, promote, and develop the US maritime industry.
Second, we need to work with industry to build programs and pathways for K-12 students that generate awareness about the opportunities within the maritime industry. By doing this, we can build robust maritime workforce pipelines.
Third, we need to incentivize current and future mariners to continue to sail. This could include tax incentives and college/trade school debt forgiveness for mariners that sail on their licenses for a reasonable period and frequency.
These and other definitive steps must be taken with a sense of urgency to address the growing need for mariners.