The primary objective of the SEA4SHORE project was to increase the attractiveness of maritime Vocational Education and Training (VET) and facilitate the smooth transition of seafarers to shore-based careers. Because the average working time at sea is often less than five years, valuable skills and training investments are frequently lost. Simultaneously, shore-based maritime sectors face a critical shortage of personnel with practical sea experience. To resolve this imbalance, we aimed to map and promote alternative shore-based career paths, ensuring that the informal and non-formal competencies acquired at sea are formally recognized and effectively transferred to land-based roles. Our concrete goals included developing a comprehensive competency map for shore-based job profiles and creating an innovative, multilingual online platform and assessment tool. Through these outputs, we sought to foster continuous professional development, increase occupational mobility across Europe, and strengthen the overall maritime labor market by systematically matching experienced seafarers with the companies that desperately need their specialized skills.
The SEA4SHORE project was initiated to address critical workforce challenges in the European maritime sector. Seafarers typically spend less than five years at sea due to the profession's demanding nature, leading to a significant loss of invested educational resources. Simultaneously, shore-based maritime industries face a severe shortage of qualified personnel who possess actual sea experience. We applied for this project because there was no standardized, digital mechanism to help seafarers transfer their highly valuable competencies to land-based roles. The project addressed the urgent need to map transferable skills and provide accessible career guidance. By bridging this gap, the project sought to increase the attractiveness of maritime Vocational Education and Training (VET), promote occupational mobility, and ensure that the vital skills acquired at sea are not lost but effectively utilized within the broader European maritime economy.