Maritime Skills Pipeline Project

Skilled workforce shortages pose a major challenge for Australia’s Maritime industry.

The Maritime Skills Pipeline Project aims to design and validate an agreed Maritime Skills Pipeline Model for the Australian maritime industry.

Led by Industry Skills Australia, the initiative aims to strengthen Australia’s maritime workforce by:

Establishing an agreed national framework for mapping existing and planned initiatives to build the maritime workforce.
Driving collaboration and co-ordination between the national skills system (jurisdictions and agencies), regulators and key stakeholders to optimise investment and minimise duplication of effort.
Working to strengthen actions and initiatives to address occupational shortages and develop a sustainable maritime workforce.

The project is being delivered in close collaboration with Commonwealth and State Government agencies, industry stakeholders, and regulators to ensure maritime training packages meet current and future needs. This project also supports recommendations 9, 11 and 13 of the Australian Government Response to the Strategic Fleet Taskforce Final Report.

What it means for industry

Building a sustainable maritime workforce

This project will help create an agreed national framework for mapping existing and planned initiatives, improving collaboration between the national skills system, regulators and stakeholders, and strengthening actions to address occupational shortages.

The Maritime Skills Pipeline Model aims to underpin the implementation and coordination of initiatives to build Australia’s maritime workforce including improving training pathways, accelerating seafarer supply, and supporting strategic workforce planning in collaboration with government and industry.

What will be delivered

Key deliverables of the Maritime Skills Pipeline Project include:

Identifying and reviewing effective approaches to attracting, skilling, and retaining maritime workers.
A research paper outlining effective national and international maritime workforce development policies and practices.
Stakeholder engagement with the maritime training sector, unions and employers to confirm maritime skill requirements to be delivered by the national training system.
Insights to inform the Strategic Maritime Workforce Committee and National Maritime Skills Network on barriers to training and delivery.
A Consultation Summary paper capturing collective views and findings on training policies, delivery methods, mutual recognition of skills, and simulation technology.

Designing a draft Maritime Industry Skills Pipeline model and implementation recommendations, validated by industry and regulatory stakeholders.

How this will be achieved

Engagement with maritime and education sectors is central to this project’s success. Industry Skills Australia is engaging with maritime employers, industry bodies, unions, regulators, and government agencies.

Stakeholder engagement aims to ensure the skills pipeline model reflects real-world needs and supports the development of a sustainable, skilled maritime workforce. Feedback will shape recommendations relating to policy settings, training products, and delivery approaches to address critical skills shortages and support strategic national initiatives.

General updates

Timeline