The offshore industry offers careers unlike almost any other. Advanced technology, international projects and opportunities to work in some of the world’s most demanding environments continue to attract people looking for meaningful and challenging careers.

A Growing Need for Offshore Competence

That growing interest comes at an important time. The oceans are expected to play an increasingly important role in the decades ahead. As the world’s population grows and societies continue to evolve, more of the infrastructure, resources and industries we depend on will be found offshore.

New technologies, new energy projects and increasingly advanced offshore operations are creating growing demand for highly skilled people. Preparing the next generation of offshore professionals has therefore become one of the industry’s most important long-term priorities.

More young people are choosing to pursue maritime careers, but attracting talent is only the first step. Turning that interest into the next generation of skilled offshore professionals requires long-term collaboration between industry, educational institutions and the wider maritime community.

By inspiring more young people to pursue maritime careers and creating opportunities for them to learn and grow, we are helping build the competence that both our industry – and Norway as a maritime nation – will depend on in the decades ahead.

Building Offshore Competence

Through initiatives such as “Become a Deckhand”, Olympic is creating new pathways into offshore careers for people with different backgrounds and levels of experience. Whether entering the industry for the first time or bringing valuable experience from another sector, the ambition is the same: to help more talented people take their first step into offshore careers.

From there, the focus shifts to long-term development. Through apprenticeships, cadet placements and structured training programmes, they gain practical experience alongside experienced colleagues, gradually building the competence, confidence and judgement needed to become skilled offshore professionals.

Preparing the next generation starts long before someone joins Olympic. That’s why the company works closely with schools, educational institutions, shipowners’ associations and industry events across Norway and internationally to inspire future seafarers, strengthen maritime education and create clearer pathways into offshore careers. This commitment also extends internationally through Olympic’s training programme in the Philippines, helping develop future offshore professionals for the company’s global operations.

This long-term approach is already delivering results. Over the past three years, the number of apprentices, cadets and students has nearly doubled.

Careers that Last

Developing skilled offshore professionals is a long-term process. While recruitment creates opportunities, it is experience gained over many years that builds the competence, judgement and confidence required in offshore operations

This is one of the reasons why long careers matter. They allow knowledge to accumulate, relationships to develop and practical experience to be passed from one generation to the next.

At Olympic, people are encouraged to share their experience, support one another and contribute beyond the boundaries of their own role. Over time, apprentices become experienced professionals, experienced professionals become mentors, and today’s newcomers help develop tomorrow’s offshore professionals.