Nautilus Slater Memorial Fund
To apply for a Slater Scholarship please click here.
Are you an experienced seafarer looking to
progress your career?
The Nautilus Slater Memorial Fund established in 1977 in memory of former MNAOA General Secretary John William Slater provides training grants of up to £18,000 depending on the course pathway or certification sought by the seafarer. The Fund helps ratings study for their first Certificate of Competency (CoC) and can also help Electro-Technical Officers, Yacht, Workboat and Tug crew gain STCW certification.
Who is eligible for this fund?
Any Merchant Navy rating, Electro Technical Officer (ETO), Workboat, Tug or Yacht crewmember that wishes to study for the STCW Officer of the Watch, deck or engine qualifications.
To be eligible you must have completed ALL the seagoing service required for the certificate you are aiming for. You will be required to provide evidence of your sea time alternatively submit a copy of your Notice of Eligibility (NOE) with your application.
Please note that you do NOT need to have completed all your courses before applying for your NOE. Exception will be given to a certificate where additional sea service is required as part of the training e.g. Small Vessels EOOW route.
The fund also supports those Fishers who want to achieve their Class 2 or Class 1 Fishing CoC or convert to OOW unlimited.
Please note the fund does not support those aiming for Chief Mate Unlimited, Master of Yachts <3000gt or any Master certificate if you already hold the OOW Unlimited.
You must be a resident of the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands and aged 21 years old or older.
How can I use it?
In addition to covering the cost of the courses required for achieving your certification, the Fund provides a fixed expense allowance whilst you are studying. Further details will be provided once your application has been approved and you are enrolled onto the scholarship programme.
Pre-requisites of the application
- Applicants who have received any Marine Society bursaries within the past 24 months are not eligible to apply.
- In addition, applicants cannot reapply for any grant they have previously been awarded.
- Funds are only available for a maximum of two years from the award date and you are expected to complete your studies and achieve your CoC within this time.
- You must start studying within 3 months from the award date so only apply if you are ready to commence your studies within that period.
- You cannot apply for funding retrospectively to cover the cost of any courses started, completed or paid for prior to submitting your application.
- Approval for the scholarship is subject to status checks, and dependent upon the availability of funds.
How do I apply?
Click on the link above. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Once submitted, you will receive an automated response to confirm receipt. You will receive further emails to inform of its success or decline with a reason in due course.
We aim to process all applications within 14 working days from receipt of the application provided all supporting documents are correctly and completely submitted with the application form.
Prepare before you apply
To make your application process smoother, we have created a preview document that lists all the questions in the online application form.
Download the Application Preview Document Here
Please note:
- The online form does not have a save and continue feature, so we recommend reviewing the questions in advance.
- This document is for preparation only. Completing or submitting it will not count as an official application.
Testimonial from Nautilus Slater Scholarship Students
I always had the motivation to become an Officer, however I never felt it was possible due to the cost of all the courses. This is where the Scholarship came in. Without the monetary support from the Slater Fund I would never have been able to continue toward my Officers ticket and achieve my goals. Not only that, but the constant guidance and support from the team have really helped me develop over the last couple of years. I would not be in the position I am today without them.
Slater Student (June 2026)
The slater fund has helped shape an incredible experience for me, not only the direct support with costs from the fund but also the incredible level of communication and assistance that was invaluable during the process. I would advise anyone following a similar route to investigate the fund and what they stand for.
The scholarship enabled me to bolster my initial knowledge by attending Warsash maritime academy to complete my OOW Unlimited certification and with this let me have a far greater depth of understanding both theoretically and practically of being a qualified seafarer.
Slater Student (July 2026)
Approved Provider Recognition Scheme
The Scheme recognises maritime college and training providers that work with us to provide training for Slater scholars working towards their certificates of competency. Approved Providers are those that have agreed favourable terms that provide better value for the Slater Fund, including discounts on course bookings.
Slater scholars are instructed to only use Approved Providers when booking their courses except where their preferred location and availability of the course is not available. Approved providers are listed below and recognised by displaying an Approved Provider logo.
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AstroNav UK Ltd
Blackpool and the Fylde College - Fleetwood Nautical Campus
Captain Barry Sadler Maritime Training
Chieftain Training
City of Glasgow College
CM Marine
East Coast College
Fire-Aid Academy Ltd
Flying Colours Maritime Ltd
Fred Wilson Marine LLP
Glasgow Maritime Academy
JPMA/Hoylake Sailing School Ltd
Maritime Skills Academy
Navigation & Stability with Philip Ashton
North Kent College
Rob Burton Maritime Training
Scottish Maritime Academy at North East Scotland College
SeaRegs Training Ltd
Seascope Maritime Training
Seafood Cornwall Training
Small Vessel Engineer Tutor Ltd
Southampton Solent University
South Shields Marine School at Tyne Coast College
South West Maritime Academy
STCW Training UK Ltd
Stream Marine Training
UK Sailing Academy - UKSA
Western Maritime Training
Whitehorse Maritime Academy
You & Sea Ltd
If you are a training provider and want to become an Approved Provider, please email Slater@ms-sc.org
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You have to be a minimum of 21 years of age to be eligible to apply for this scholarship.
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There is no upper age limit, however, it is expected that you are fit enough to work at sea (hold an ENG1 medical certificate) and plan to do so for the foreseeable future.
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This funding is for an ‘experienced seafarer’ who want to gain their first certificate of competency or move up the career ladder. You are expected to have completed ALL the sea service required for the certificate you are aiming for, e.g. OOW unlimited requires 36 months sea service on vessels over 24m or 80GT with bridge watch-keeping requirements.
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If you have been a permanent resident of the UK for the past 3 years or more you can apply for the scholarship. However, we will need proof of this such as copies of utility bills, rent agreement.
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Yes, if you already hold the RYA Yacht Master Offshore/Ocean or IYT Master of Yachts. However, as an alternative, you may want to consider our new apprenticeship route for this certificate. For further information on the apprenticeship standard, please click on this link. If you would like to find out more please email learning@ms-sc.org.
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- OOW Unlimited – will be given priority consideration
- Engineer Officer of the Watch III/1 – will be given priority consideration
- Small Vessel ENG 111/2
- Master <200GT/<500GT
- Master Yachts <500GT
- OOW Tugs <500GT
- Master Workboats <500GT
- Master Tugs <500GT
- OOW Yachts <3000gt
- OOW Yachts <3000GT With Chief Mates endorsement
- Electro-technical Officer – will be given priority consideration
- Class 1 Fishing with OOW unlimited conversion
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No, you are required to have completed all your sea service for the certificate you are aiming for and be in receipt of your Notice of Eligibility before submitting an application. This is so that you can focus on your studies and complete all your courses within the two-year period that the Fund is awarded for.
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No, it is expected that you will be returning home to the UK to complete your studies. All courses and exams must be completed at MCA approved course providers in the UK.
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The scholarship will only assist you to reach your first CoC.
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The scholarship will pay for all course and exam fees that are required for the CoC you are aiming for. It will also contribute towards temporary accommodation, food, travel, book and stationery. The scholarship will not pay for personal outgoings such as rent or mortgage on your permanent home and utility bills or expenses such taxis, parking fees or international flights .
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This is to ensure that you have the required level of numeracy and literacy skills to be able to cope with your OOW studies. They are maritime contextualised up-skilling courses that have been designed to support seafarers who may have been out of formal education for a number of years.
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You can subscribe to Maths@sea and Writing@sea by visiting here. Please submit your quiz scores with your application. Only those who are granted a scholarship will be reimbursed their subscription fees to these courses.
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Yes, please submit your application and supporting documents to Slater@ms-sc.org
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If you are considering studying via blended learning, it is important that we discuss this with you first to ensure that you have given full consideration to challenges you may face during this method of study.
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UK Seafarers Careers : training provision, information and examination syllabuses
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-seafarer-careers-training-provision-and-information
Electro-technical Officers
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/msn-1860-m-uk-requirements-for-electro-technical-officers
Requirements for deck officers on large yachts over 24m
OOW Master & Deck Officers
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/msn-1856-mf-uk-requirements-for-master-and-deck-officers
Master and OOW Tugs <500gt
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mgn-495-certificate-of-competency-tug-deck
Engineer officer small vessel Certificate of Competency - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/min-524-mf-engineer-officer-small-vessel-certificate-of-competency
Master Workboats <500 unlimited https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/561849/MGN_496.pdf
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