Hands On Deck
Practice makes perfect with Maritime Professional Training.
Nowhere does the lure of adventure scream louder than sailing the seven seas of the world. Imagine spending your life on never-ending voyages of discovery, sharing a litany of exotic tales about faraway experiences with landlocked friends. Unless you fall into a fortuitous upper echelon who can afford to pay your way into full-time leisure ocean travel, choosing a career at sea might be an attractive option. It is not the prospect of a new job so much as a calling.
The proliferation of cruise ships positioned around the globe has opened up career opportunities for everyone with dreams of life at sea. Jobs in hospitality fill thousands of open positions in the cruise industry, from waitstaff, entertainers, port lecturers, art auctioneers, spa technicians, and even something as elementary as childcare. Of course, careers such as these can be easily found in university curriculum, specialty-type classes, or even with on-the-job training, but what about navigating, administrating, and maintaining these multimillion dollar floating cities of the sea?
Unless you’ve spent countless years on a ship’s bridge as a cadet, working your way up the ranks, where do you start? Keeping up with new ship technology and evolving maritime law can be a daunting challenge.
This is where the groundbreaking, high-tech campus of Maritime Professional Training and the staff of MPT fill the void with comprehensive courses of study. This Ft. Lauderdale–based school of maritime academics was originally floated out by the family of visionary Elmer Morley and his wife Beverly. The creation of this unique facility in 1983 was facilitated by Mr. Morley’s extensive experience as a Chief Engineer. Daughter Amy served as the school’s principal, with son, Captain Ted Morley — an Unlimited Master with extensive seagoing history — taking the helm as the company COO. MPT quickly evolved into an industry giant with daughter Lisa Morley joining the business in 2009 as Executive Vice President, testament to the family’s commitment to maritime service.
Today, the school is the largest of its kind, training over 12,000 students annually on a campus that boasts 60,000 square feet of classrooms plus deck and engineering training labs offering courses ranging from basic half-day refresher courses to in-depth multi-day courses providing essential certification for captain licensing. Essential instruction is offered on navigational methods, updated safety practices, and security initiatives, along with technical and engineering skills. MPT works closely with the industry to assist in attracting individuals and effectively preparing them for a life at sea.
In addition to the MPT main campus, their comprehensive programs of study also take place at the Marine Tech Shipboard Firefighting site, the Sea Survival Training facility, and the MPT fleet of training vessels. In addition to classroom and practical instruction, the facility features the latest in virtual reality technology pods at the $6 million MPT SMART Simulation Center (Simulation for Maritime Assessment, Research and Training).
This brainchild concept was developed by Captain Morley and is widely recognized as the premier simulation facility available to the private maritime sector. By introducing actual video footage of worldwide ports, these cutting-edge simulators display situational conditions that provide crucial maneuver training. Learning from the practice makes perfect mantra far outweighs making mistakes under actual conditions.
Fields of study are not only relevant to cruise ships and the merchant marine, but are also appropriate for careers in the growing field of luxury yachting. Class components in the field of hospitality extend to bartending basics, wine appreciation, and housekeeping essentials.
If you have the itch for a salty life at sea, consultation is complimentary by contacting lmorley@mptusa.com or by phoning ( 954) 525-1014.