Whilst the water industry falls within GoSkills footprint, it has been agreed that Maritime Skills Alliance (MSA) will remain responsible for the industry.  The MSA brings together the Fish Catching, Marine Leisure, Ports and Shipping industries in a strategic alliance to focus on the skills needs of the maritime sector.

N.B. Some caution is required when interpreting the following data as the Maritime Skills Alliance and GoSkills use a slightly different definition of the passenger transport industry.

Across the maritime sector there is an estimated 84,700 employees of which 45,600 are in the passenger and freight water transport industry (part of the passenger transport sector).  The employment levels in passenger and freight water transport industry increased by 7% in 2000-2002.  91% of this part of the sector is employed full-time and 6% are self-employed.

Workforce statistics for the maritime sector:

• 90% of the workforce are employed full-time, compared to 74% in the whole of the UK
• 15% are self-employed, but this varies significantly by industry
• 16% are female
• 2.9% are from ethnic minority backgrounds
• the age profile of the maritime workforce is slightly older than the workforce as a whole

Drivers of change in the maritime sector:

• globalisation and competition – increasing competition in terms of quality and price from overseas markets caused by the emergence of new competitors, plus the demand for increasing efficiency and accompanying tighter margins will see further consolidation in the maritime sector
• legislation, regulation and the environment – the maritime  sector is heavily regulated and many of these are based on international regulations not just UK or European
• technological trends – it has continued to adopt new technology that increases the sophistication and innovation of their systems and processes to for example ship management, satellite navigation and dynamic positioning systems

Source: MSA website 2007 and Mackinnon Partnership 2005