STUDENTS ARE DRAWN to a career at sea because "there's a bit of glamour in it", says Donal Burke, head of Cork RTC's nautical studies department.
"There's also a lot of responsibility," he warns.
Marine cadets from the Cork college have a 100 per cent record in securing well paid work immediately after graduating.
"The jobs are there, we've no doubts on that. At the moment we cannot fill the jobs available." Three courses at the college equip students for a life on the seas - or for marine-related jobs ashore.
Graduates of these courses typically find employment (sometimes with further study) as skilled seafarers, barb our masters and pilots, marine surveyors and examiners, naval service officers, cargo surveyors, college lecturers, shipping and shipbroking operatives and maritime lawyers.
According to Burke, there is a growing demand in British shipping companies for graduates of any of the RTC's three sea-going courses.
Those who graduate with a nautical-science diploma could find themselves watch-keeping a 500,000-tonne tanker, Burke says. Students who fancy the idea of being in the middle of the ocean, at night, alone, with responsibility for keeping watch over such a huge bulk carrier may be interested in a career in this area.
Burke says there are excellent long-term prospects for graduates of all three Cork RTC marine courses. Also, he explains, job opportunities for Irish cadets elsewhere in the European Union are set to grow, thanks to an increased emphasis on vessel safety by the international shipping authorities - and thus the need for more high-calibre officers.
Cork RTC is the only third-level institution in the State - apart from the Naval Service - which trains for careers at sea, training about 65 students each year. There are three separate courses on offer to interested students: a diploma in engineering (marine), a diploma in science (nautical science) and a certificate in navigational studies (seamanship).
Job prospects are extremely good for the marine engineer at sea, but it seems second-level students do not fully appreciate this. Last year, Cork RTC could only fill 30 of the 35 places on the marine-engineering course.
As for the other two courses, the college takes 20 students each year on to its nautical-science course, and a further 20 students in seamanship. Both these courses were filled last year. Graduates of the diploma courses also have the option of carrying on to complete a degree in Britain.
An added incentive is a Department of the Marine grant scheme. Introduced last year, the scheme means all students can now be placed with shipping companies for the completion of their training and thus be eligible for subsequent job opportunities in the industry. Students must spend between 17 and 20 months at sea as part of the nautical-science diploma, which is a three-and-a-half year course.
Aileen Queally (22) from Ennis Co Clare, has just completed the exams for a national diploma in nautical science.
"Throughout my cadetship I have been sponsored by an English company. I'll be doing the third officer's job, most likely on a bulk carrier," Queally explains. She expects to work on ships that ply routes between England and South Africa, Canada and South America.
"When I was leaving school I wasn't quite sure what I had in mind," Queally says. "This course was so different - it sounded exciting.
"I've been very lucky. We went down the east coast of South America, from Jamaica to Chile. Sometimes you might only get eight hours in port, or on other leaves you might get up to two or three days.
"The down side of the job is long voyages - mind you, it's a great way to save money. At the end of the day there's always the possibility of coming ashore."
As a woman, she says, "I am definitely in the minority. But it's not any disadvantage nowadays. The equipment is modern, there's no heavy work. A lot of the time you are on board ship, navigating, and you wear a nice white uniform. Then you go to port and you wear a boiler suit when you are supervising the loading or the unloading of freight."
Owing to the limited size and nature of the Irish fleet, cadet placements are usually obtained with British companies for shipboard training. The British fleet, and particularly its deep-sea fleet, has traditionally provided the main outlet for Irish cadets.
Damien Tallon (20) from Crumlin, Dublin, applied to Cork RTC's nautical-science course because "it was interesting". He completed his exams two weeks ago and will start work shortly with a Glasgow-based management company as a third officer.
So far, he says, "I've spent quite a bit of time on ships. On large oil tankers, going from South Africa to the US, it's a five-week voyage. The return journey takes about four weeks, because we go through the Suez Canal.
"You get into a routine on board," he says. "When you're in port you have a lot of work to do. Once you get to sea things are a lot more relaxed. The most exciting part is going to somewhere new, to somewhere you mightn't have even heard of."
"You are away for nine to 10 months of the year - saving everything you earn. That side of it alone is very important."
Donal Burke says there are many shore-based companies that recruit from experienced and qualified seafarers for work in technical and managerial roles in the maritime and industrial areas. There are growing shortages in all of these areas, he says.
Applicants for all three courses must pass approved assessment, medical fitness and eyesight tests, he notes.
