What is Sea Vision

Sea Vision UK a national campaign to raise young people’s awareness and understanding of the sea, maritime activities and the maritime sector. It particularly focuses on those aged between between 13 and 22 years old.

Objectives

Sea Vision brings together companies, associations (‘partners’) and individuals (‘friends’) interested in the sea and maritime matters to work together, to:

• raise the profile of the sea and maritime activities among young people
• promote the development of education and careers activity by Sea Vision partner organisations and throughout the regions and counties of the UK 

Finance

Sea Vision does not charge its partner organisations any membership fees, nor do Partners receive funding for activities from the campaign.

The campaign relies on the support of a small number of partners, together with sponsorship from individual partners for specific projects.  Sea Vision is also applying for charitable status and continues to seek funding from local and national government, the European Union and partner organisations where appropriate.

Governance

Sea Vision UK was established by three ‘lead partners’ in 2003; The Chamber of Shipping, The Royal Navy and Lloyd’s Register. 

In addition, the campaign seeks advice and guidance from the whole sector through a Core Group Committee and an Education, Careers Advisory Committee.

Day to day management is provided by a small secretariat team (see ‘Contact us’ details), sponsored by the Chamber of Shipping and Royal Navy.

Overview of Activities

Since the campaign began, Sea Vision has relied on its partners to work individually or in groups, to carry out the campaign objectives using their own resources – with promotional and organisational support from the (small) central team. 

Sea Vision’s central team acts as a co-ordinating body and a communications hub – to support and provide a focus for partner promotional activities.

The campaigns success hinges on partner organisations taking an active role, sharing the concept and ‘telling the story’ of what the sea means to them – through any and all promotional activities they take part in.

To date, considerable resources have been focussed on recruiting a large and wide ranging group of partners (national, regional and local) and working to enthuse them to plan their own activities to further the aims of the campaign or to use the Sea Vision brand to add to any activities they are already involved in.

The central team has led appearances at national public and trade events by bringing together partners to demonstrate the breadth and variety of the maritime sector.

Moving forward, partners will aim to work with local schools and youth groups to raise awareness of the exciting diversity of the sector.  This could be through direct school visits and activities, the development of curriculum linked resources or increasingly, through new media and online materials.

All partners are encouraged to use the Sea Vision core messages in their external communications and to display the Sea Vision logo on their premises, literature and marketing materials.

The Sea Vision central team will continue to support and offer advice to partner organisations as well as maintaining the website, compiling the regular e-newsletter and developing resources, materials and publications to further the campaigns reach and impact. 

Summary of successes

More than 400 partners from across the maritime sector have joined, including some 90 collective entities such as trade associations and institutes  

Over 5000 individual friends have signed up to the campaign.

Through successfully working with partners and friends, Sea Vision has made a positive impact – raising the awareness of the maritime sector with a diverse range of audiences.

Sea Vision has worked to compile, promote and distribute, accurate data giving the value of and number of people employed in the entire maritime sector.  Although Sea Vision itself does not lobby, the resulting Sea Vision Maritime Statistics leaflet has been widely quoted in Parliament both in the UK, and Europe.

In 2008, Sea Vision launched an improved website with enhanced functionality, including a searchable education resource listing, events calendar and much more, all developed as a result of partner feedback and suggestions.  As a result, the Sea Vision website is widely valued as a source of information on the sea and the diverse range of activities associated with it.  

A number of national and regional public and specific careers events, from the International Festival of the Sea, the Tall Ships Race in Liverpool, to the Skills Shows and specific careers events, have been supported by Sea Vision bringing together different partners to promote and represent the maritime sector.

Sea Vision has developed and published four editions of Maritime, a unique careers guide demonstrating through case studies, the enormous range of job and careers opportunities available.  The magazine also includes information about the different areas within the sector and course details for those making decisions about further education.

Three national maritime photography competitions have served to raise awareness of the sea and the sector.  The competitions have attracted thousands of entries and the resulting pictures have been displayed at public and trade shows as well as in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Sea Vision has developed a range of branded promotional materials ranging from banners and stands, to publications, stickers and flags which have been distributed across the country to support partner activities.

Although not the primary focus for the campaign to date, Sea Vision and its Partners have also achieved extensive press coverage across a wide spectrum of national and trade press, increasing awareness of the campaign, and their individual activities.

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