The Maritime Skills and Training Initiative provides up to $13.8 million to assist trainee/cadet seafarers to obtain International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for Seafarers 1978 certification.

The MSTI Program provides access to berths to complete sea time required to obtain International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for Seafarers 1978 certification.

The objectives of the program are:

• increase availability of training berths on vessels to ensure more Australian trainee/cadet seafarers can access sea time to complete their qualifications
• address the skills shortage of Australian seafarers certified to the STCW level in the Australian maritime industry
• respond to Australia's maritime skills shortage and support the implementation of the strategic fleet.

The MSTI Program will run over 4 years from 2025-26 to 2028-29.

Funding, split over 4 years, with maximum grant amounts for each trainee/cadet applied for:

• Trainee - $102,000
• Deck Cadet - $187,500
• Engine Cadet and Electro-Technical Officers: $197,500.

The total maximum grant amount each financial year is $3.451 million.

You can apply if you:

• have an Australian business number (ABN)
• have an account with an Australian financial institution
• are an entity incorporated in Australia.
• are the employer of the trainee/cadet seafarers, and are one of the following:
  • a Group Training Organisation (GTO)
  • an Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) registered private seafarer recruitment and placement service
  • a shipping company or vessel operator
• acknowledge you cannot claim the shipping exempt income tax incentive under the Shipping Reform (Tax Incentives) Act 2012 for the same trainee/cadet seafarers funded under this program.

• Phone: 13 28 46
• Email: enquiries@industry.gov.au