These courses were previously handled at Warsash Maritime Academy.
Situated in St Mary’s campus within the grounds of City College, the new facilities will open for officer cadets on 18th September, 2017.
Syamantak Bhattacharya, Director of the Warsash School of Maritime, Science and Engineering at Solent, said: “We are excited to have reached the first phase of our investment plans into maritime education and training at Solent. Investing £6 mill into the refurbishment of the new premises forms part of the University’s major plans to modernise facilities and bring our professional and higher level maritime education programmes from the Warsash campus to the city centre by 2019 - while continuing to build on the heritage and expertise associated with Warsash Maritime Academy.
“Warsash has become world-renowned for providing a cadetship programme and a number of professional short courses for over 70 years. The new premises will provide officer cadets with a distinct modern teaching environment, exclusively for seafarers studying for their officer of the watch certificate of competency,” he said.
Officer cadets will have access to a wide range of facilities at the St Mary’s campus, including new engineering workshops, a welding area and electrical and control laboratories, along with an ECDIS simulator suite and marine-electro-technical officer (METO) workshops.
Located near to the University’s main campus, cadets will also be able to take full advantage of a 24-hour library (term time), learning resource centre, sports facilities and student union.
Practical short courses and teaching for the fire school, maritime safety and offshore, first aid and medical, and seamanship courses, remain at the waterside, lower site of the current Warsash Maritime Academy campus, with investment plans for new and redeveloped facilities.
Future development phases will involve teaching provision for senior officers relocating to the University’s main campus, along with bridge, engine and liquid cargo simulation courses and maritime professional development programmes.