The purpose of a marine engineer is to design, build and maintain ships; these could be large vessels, like tankers and cruise ships or small sailboats.
Marine Engineers are responsible for the internal systems of a ship, such as the electrical and mechanical systems, like refrigeration, propulsion, and steering. The job has lots of variety, because you could be building a ship, or you could be carrying out general or preventative maintenance or completing diagnostics and repairs.
A Marine Engineer also carries out routine maintenance and ensures the general upkeep of a vessel. You could survey ships and assess if they were safe to sail.
This job is a growth area, and there is currently a shortage of Marine Engineers in the UK.
Possible pathways to this job
You could train straight from school as an engineering technician with the Royal navy or Merchant navy. You could go to university and get a degree in:
- Marine technology
- Marine engineering
- Naval architecture
- Offshore engineering
Alternatively, look for courses, such as the two examples below:
Highbury College, Portsmouth: Level 3 Marine Engineering Level 3 Marine Engineering | Highbury AC
Brockenhurst College, New Forest: Level 3 Marine Engineering Apprenticeship Marine – Engineering Apprenticeship Level 3 | Course Brockenhurst College |
