A volunteer from the organisation Careers at Sea, Andrew Ferguson, delivered a recorded assembly on his long service in different areas of the merchant navy to all of Year 9. On 27 June he came to the school in person to give interested pupils a chance to ask questions and find out more about maritime. The Solent region directly employs 42,000 people in sea-based careers. This rises to 198,000 people in the industry if the supply chain is included. 

 

Andrew explained the benefits of his time at sea on container ships and cruise vessels, which included good pay and not paying tax at a young age, a variety of ships, travelling the world, making close friends and the sense of responsibility that comes from being on the bridge of a large vessel. He also discussed challenges,  such as long periods away from home. Later in the talk, he explained the shore-based maritime work he is now employed in and discussed how technology is changing shipping. Year 9 students asked a lot of questions about pirates: Andrew confirmed that, although his ships have taken sensible precautions, he has never been under attack!

 

Year 9 students asked mature questions throughout and hopefully a knowledge of this area of work will be useful to them as they make decisions about the future.

 

Ms Laura Burden

Lead for Aspiration and Enterprise