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Merchant mariner training in Florida

1 maritime program with costs, results and funding that can make it free

One school offers this merchant mariner program, and Florida has approved it for workforce funding. It shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Water transportation workers run and maintain the vessels that carry cargo and people over water. Entry-level sailors and marine oilers need no set education and usually get 1 month to 1 year of training after they are hired, while other jobs on board take Coast Guard-approved training. Most jobs require a Merchant Mariner Credential from the Coast Guard and a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), and moving up takes logged time at sea.1 To get a first merchant mariner credential from the Coast Guard you must show you hold or have applied for a TWIC, pass a drug test and pass vision, hearing and medical exams (or hold a Coast Guard medical certificate).2

In Florida, the one program asks for a high school diploma or equivalent.

See the program

How much does merchant mariner training cost in Florida?

$7,859

is what this program costs if you pay yourself

This program

Finished the program
94%
Working 6 months later
Not reported
The program doesn't report it
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
The program doesn't report it
Length
9 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Florida may also offer merchant mariner training. How these figures are made

Is there free merchant mariner training in Florida?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

The one maritime program in Florida approved for WIOA funding

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1 program

  • Entry-level mariner trainingIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Professional Mariner Training Program

    Charles F. Chapman School of Seamanship Inc.

    Stuart

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Charles F. Chapman School of Seamanship Inc., StuartEntry-level mariner trainingIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$7,859
    More details about Professional Mariner Training Program at Charles F. Chapman School of Seamanship Inc.
    Finished
    94%
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    9 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $491
    Students counted
    38
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $7,859

How to pay for merchant mariner training in Florida

WIOA funding can pay for merchant mariner training in Florida

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for merchant mariner training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.78

GI Bill for merchant mariner training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.9

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Other training in Florida

How merchant mariner training compares with the rest of transportation and logistics: Transportation and logistics training in Florida

Where the Florida merchant mariner program numbers come from

Which Florida merchant mariner programs are on this list?

These are the merchant mariner programs Florida approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).10 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Florida offers.

How the prices and results of Florida merchant mariner programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about merchant mariner training in Florida

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Water Transportation Workers
  2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 46 CFR 10.225, requirements for original Merchant Mariner Credentials
  3. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  4. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  5. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  6. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  10. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List