US-based foundation gives scholarships boost to maritime training in Jamaica, other Caribbean nations
Published:Saturday | June 21, 2025 | 12:07 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer
Ninety-eight individuals from the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) in Kingston are among students who will receive scholarships and grants from the Florida-based American Caribbean Maritime Foundation (ACMF) for the academic year 2025-2026.
A total of 128 are to be awarded scholarships and grants valued at more than US$432,000 in total.
The other 30 students to receive scholarships and grants will be drawn from The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Anguilla and Guyana.
Scholarships range from US$7,500 to US$3,500 with students studying outside of their home country receiving $25,000 to cover tuition and boarding.
The grant is a one-time award of US$1,000 which will be received by 28 students this year.
The students are studying engineering, logistics, cyber security analysts, and other disciplines.
In addition to the CMU, those receiving ACMF scholarships and grants attend the University of Trinidad and Tobago, LJM Maritime Academy in The Bahamas, as well as MatPal Marine Institute and Atlantic Alliance Off-Shore Marine Training Institute in Guyana.
ACMF was established in 2017 and in 2018 made its first scholarship and grant awards to five Bahamian students studying at the CMU.
“We are pleased to be able to not only support this new cohort of recipients but meet ongoing commitments to dozens of students awarded in previous years,” said Geneive Brown Metzger, president of the ACMF.
According to Brown-Metzger, the 2025 awards are made possible with the support of corporate partners, including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Tropical Shipping, King Ocean Services, Seaboard Marine, Arawak Port Development, and Nassau Cruise Port.
PARTNERSHIP VALUED
Professor Andrew Spencer, president of the CMU, told The Gleaner that the university’s partnership with the ACMF is highly valued and, since the introduction of the scholarships and grants programme, close to 400 CMU students have benefited from the programme.
“It has allowed students to pursue their career goals without having to worry about tuition,” he said.
Spencer noted that the CMU is not involved in the scholarship selection process, which is conducted by the ACMF board, but pointed out that students receiving scholarships have to maintain a 3.0 grade point average. Those falling below that level receive grants.
Spencer further pointed out that, while the scholarships were previously awarded to students who have already completed their first year at the university, today they cover students coming out of high school and entering CMU.
He said that the scholarships have allowed the CMU to increases the number of logistics students graduated in order to meet the high demand for personnel in the maritime industry.
Spencer stressed however that all disciplines are covered under the scholarship and grant programme.
“The scholarships allow us to equip our students by providing the opportunities for their sustained development,” he said.
ACMF scholars are hired by cruise and cargo companies, some directly and some through the ACMF Carex jobs board at https://acmf-carex.org/. Others are recruited through major talent recruitment agencies such as V.Ships in Scotland, the luxury and leisure crewing company Columbia Blue, located in Germany, and Seaview Caribbean in Jamaica. ACMF scholars are also snapped up for onshore positions by Caribbean-based maritime entities.
According to Brown-Metzger, the region’s maritime professionals and workers are competitive in their quality of training and the diversity of their skill sets.
Further, the region’s geographic proximity to industry players is an added bonus to employers. Annually, hundreds of officer-level talent, many with bachelors in navigation and engineering, are trained in the Caribbean.
The ACMF is a United States non-profit, tax-exempt organisation and is solely dedicated to sponsoring academic scholarships and grants to aspiring Caribbean and CARICOM maritime professionals and seafarers.
The Foundation partners with academic institutions within the CARICOM to train aspiring mariners and maritime professionals in engineering, navigation, logistics, immigration and customs processing, cyber security, supply chain management, port management, and a host of other skills essential to the maritime sector.
ACMF scholars and grantees hail from Jamaica, Guyana, The Bahamas, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, Suriname, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Grenada.