Institutional highlights

MARTEC in Frederikshavn saw a record 137 new students, up by 16 from last year, while SIMAC in Svendborg maintained its intake at 150. Other institutions experienced mixed results, with Aarhus School of Marine Engineering admitting 255 students, a slight decrease from the previous year.

Capacity issues

Anders Hanberg Sørensen, Principal of Aarhus School of Marine Engineering, attributes the decline to insufficient workshop space. Despite high applicant numbers, many schools, especially in Aarhus and Copenhagen, lack the capacity to accommodate all interested students.

Hungry for manpower

Danish Shipping emphasizes the critical need for more trained professionals. A recent Epinion report reveals that maritime companies expect to demand more specialized labour in the future, that many face challenges in recruiting qualified employees, and that the future recruitment challenge is intensified by increased growth.

A full 64 percent of the companies in the survey indicate that they have tried to recruit qualified employees in the past year without success.

Companies report challenges in hiring, particularly for employees aged 36 to 45, amid a backdrop of declining youth populations and increased industry growth.

“The entire industry is crying out for manpower. We are an important maritime nation, but we need to train more marine engineers, navigators, and shipping professionals if we are to maintain that position,” says Anne Windfeldt Trolle, Danish Shipping.

Looking forward

Addressing these issues requires investing in educational infrastructure to meet rising interest and support the industry’s workforce demands.