Maritime and Nautical Studies

Welcome to the Fleetwood Nautical campus, a highly specialised part of Blackpool and The Fylde College. Our Fleetwood campus is recognised as one of the top Nautical establishments in the country with a wide range of UK and overseas students. The college has been designated as a National Beacon of Excellence and was recently re-accredited for the Charter Mark in recognition of the excellent service it provides to all its learners.

Another successful period for the School featured continued popularity of its Foundation Degree, with enrolment up more than 50% on the previous period. Student achievement was also high and we were delighted when our students scooped two prestigious awards: Nautilus’s annual Bevis Minter Award for most distance travelled by an officer trainee and the best NVQ Level 3 Portfolio. In coming months a refurbishment of the Fleetwood Nautical Campus to the tune of £3m, which will reinforce our reputation as an international centre of excellence for maritime training.

The School maintained excellent industry relations, from its long-standing links with the likes of Ship Safe Training Group and Clyde Marine to newer partnerships such as those with BAE Systems and the Nigerian Ports Authority. We were also visited by Edmund Brookes, Deputy Director General of the British Chamber of Shipping, which sponsors some of our students.

Fleetwood Offshore Survival Centre (FOSC)

An excellent year for the FOSC was evidenced by the enrolment of close to 4,000 students, a retention rate of 99.92%, and the successful achievement of its financial targets. The continuaed expansion of the facility included; the acquisition of a new Whittaker Survival Capsule and Marine Evacuation Slide along with numerous fire training improvements.

The FOSC has a truly international customer base and during the period welcomed self-sponsored students from across all five continents. Close relationships also continued with major employers from the offshore oil and gas and shipping industries; BG, Shell, BP, Rig Blast, Siemens, Stena Line, RFA, James Fisher, Clyde Marine, IOMSPC, Zodiac Shipping and Bibby Line.

Both Maritime Studies and Offshore are accredited to ISO 9000:2000. Courses are run to the highest standard with an impressive number of state-of-the-art resources which include a Transas full mission ship simulator with five bridges, a fire ground approved by the MCA and OPITO, seamanship centre and launching platform open to the sea, environmental tank and helicopter underwater escape trainer. The Fleetwood Nautical Campus has a world wide reputation for excellence.