The Inspiring Oceans project aims to stimulate young people to consider their futures and the importance of gaining skills and qualifications. It provides a place to explore a wide range of career pathways. The project hopes to make the expanse of choice a little less daunting.

Inspiring Oceans specialises in careers connected to the sea. These are careers that are not immediately obvious to everyone. But they are important careers! We need dynamic, well trained young people to take up the reins and look to the future sustainable management and exploitation of our marine resources. There are jobs here to suit all personalities and skills.

We all rely on our oceans much more than you might think.

Food: fish and shell fish are an excellent source of healthy protein. On a global basis we consume 170 million tonnes of protein from shellfish and fish annually. It is a particularly important food source for developing countries, and can contribute to our solutions to world hunger.

Marine products: our oceans provide a wide range of other products, including seasalt, agar (that goes into cosmetics, food and has laboratory applications), seaweeds (as fertilisers) and a vast store of compounds yet to be researched that could hold the secret to curing cancers or other diseases.

Energy sources: gas and oil reserves are abundant under our oceans and have provided us with our fuel to drive our economies and heat our homes for over a hundred years.

Renewable energies: as we learn more about our impact on climate change, we look increasingly to our oceans for new solutions to our need for energy. Offshore wind farms, tidal energy and algal-derived biofuels are promising sources of environmentally-friendly energy under investigation.

Transport: for thousands of years, humans have taken to the seas to explore new continents and engage in trade. We still use the seas for trade and getting about in modern times. Today The UK maritime sector directly employs over 250,000 people. It is a £37 billion turnover sector, bigger than aerospace and agriculture combined – the largest maritime sector in Europe.

Leisure: our coastal areas provide us with opportunities to relax, and enjoy!

Climate: The world’s oceans are responsible for carrying the suns’ heat around the globe in currents, and thus regulate our climate and weather. As global warming becomes an increasing problem, our oceans mop up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, locking it away in the deep through the action of biological organisms, and therefore contribute to reducing the impact.

Newcastle University has joined with NYK Shipping Group to inspire the very best of our young people to consider careers in this crucial sector. Click Our Partners to read about those who have contributed to the development of this website. Follow the Development Events link to learn about what we have been up to since autumn 2008.