Primary, secondary and tertiary business opportunities are associated with this country's marine resource and the marine food, leisure and technology sectors add high value to the Irish economy.

In 1998, the Marine Institute published figures on the value of these sectors, estimating that they contribute more than �?�1.2bn annually to the economy. However, the institute says turnover and employment for shipping, ports, harbours and seabed resources significantly boost these estimates.

For those students who always dreamed of working at sea, there are several options for getting into this area. Partaking in maritme training and education and working in navigation, bridge training, communications or vessel traffic systems is one option. Doing a marine science degree and becoming a marine scientist is another.

The new �?�52m National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) in Ringaskiddy, Co Cork was officially opened last month and is the first third-level public-private partnership project to be completed here. Used by Cork Institute of Technology and the Irish Naval Service, the new college offers full-time courses for school leavers up to degree level, ongoing career development for maritime professionals and short courses for seafarers.

"We are aimed at people who want to work on ships, go to sea and make a seagoing career their main objective, " says Eamonn Doyle, a lecturer in nautical science at NMCI.

NMCI offers courses in marine and plant engineering, nautical science and navigational seamanship to school leavers. A marine engineer operates and maintains the engines, boilers, generators and other systems of ships. Nautical scientists are concerned with navigation and ship handling, the safe operation of a ship, shipboard administration and the handling, loading and care of cargoes. Navigational seamanship builds on the skills of those currently employed on merchant ships.

Those interested in working at sea will have to pass a medical examination, says Doyle. "Anybody who goes to sea in any capacity must meet mandatory health standards. For example, somebody who is going to be a specialist in navigation and is in charge of the navigation watch really has to have good eyesight."

However, students should not expect a lifelong career on the water. "It's a career that tends to be followed in younger years. Most people tend to gravitate closer to home later on. You get jobs like surveyors, maritime investigators, harbour masters and more. There's a whole range of employment opportunities on shore. The average career at sea probably lasts 10 to 12 years."

There is now a recruitment drive for graduates, says Doyle. "There are significant job opportunities and in the normal output of our graduates there is no unemployment. It has been that way for the past 15 years or more.

Internationally, there is a shortage of qualified junior officers for ships and we constantly get enquiries from companies."

A degree in marine science is another option for schoolleavers who want to work at sea. Few colleges in Ireland offer degrees in marine science and National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) is perhaps the most popular.

The college says marine science should not be confused with marine biology.

While marine biology is the study of plants and animals that live in the sea, marine science covers a much larger area. It includes the physics and chemistry of the sea, microbiology and sub-sea geology as well as the economic aspects of the sea and humans' impact on the marine environment.

Marine science graduates go on to careers in research, fisheries, aquaculture, coastal resource management, tourism, museum curatorship and more.