Maritime academy grads find jobs

Approximately 85 percent of 2008 graduates with merchant marine licenses from the United States Merchant Marine Academy and six state maritime academies have found employment afloat in the maritime industry or in the U.S. military, according to data released by the Maritime Administration today.

"This data indicates that the job market for merchant marine officers remains robust," said U.S. Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton. "There is a growing, worldwide demand for fully-trained merchant marine officers and licensed mariners. Excellent training combined with ongoing global trade expansion will continue to make the graduates of U.S. maritime colleges among the most qualified and employable mariners in the world.

Total employment for 2008 licensed graduates is already more than 95 percent. This number includes those who have found shoreside employment in the maritime industry. One of the academies, Great Lakes in Traverse City, Michigan, has placed 100 percent of its 2008 graduates in maritime afloat employment.

The Maritime Administration operates the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and provides funding and training ships to Maine, Massachusetts, Texas, California, Great Lakes Maritime Academies, and the State University of New York Maritime College. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is a federal service academy, and the state maritime academies are all part of their respective state higher education systems.

Employment for 2008 Graduates of U.S. Maritime Colleges: August 2008

ACADEMY	California	Maine	Great Lakes	Massachusetts	SUNY	Texas	USMMA	TOTAL
TOTAL GRADUATES (graduate and undergraduate)	131	169	30	214	268	44	211	1,067
License Grads	97	86	30	112	137	42	211	715
Active Duty Armed Forces	5	3	0	4	32	2	48	95
Maritime Afloat	61	49	30	73	93	28	142	476
Maritime Ashore	13	11	0	16	49	0	19	108
Armed Forces Reserves	7	3	1	20	15	2	163	211
Graduate School	1	0	0	0	8	0	1	10
Other	51	106	0	121	86	14	1	379