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IMarEST announced its acquisition of Plymouth University’s Hydrographic Academy (HA).

The new venture – Marine Learning Alliance Ltd. – sees IMarEST experts and HA academics develop a new suite of e-learning courses to run alongside existing Hydrographic Academy programmes.

IMarEST will build on the HA’s existing innovative methods to provide blended distance and mobile e-learning, allowing students to learn from distance and earn academic and professional qualifications.

The move will boost IMarEST’s expanding programme of professional development opportunities to its 15,000 members – no matter where they are in the world.

IMarEST’s Chief Executive David Loosley said: “Professional development is at the heart of what the IMarEST does as a leading learned society, whether through professional registration, training, our online virtual library, or conferences and events. Acquiring an e-learning platform means we can offer even more ways to gain further skills and qualifications for our members as well as the wider marine community.”

Dr Richard Thain, Director of the Hydrographic Academy at Plymouth University and member of the University’s School of Marine Science and Engineering, said: “The Hydrographic Academy has established a truly innovative model for distance learning for the offshore sector, meaning you can study for a degree on an oil rig or survey vessel in the middle of the ocean.

“The deal with IMarEST will enable us to take forward the Academy at speed and create new programmes and opportunities for our students, while retaining strong links to the University and its world-renowned expertise for marine and maritime teaching, research and training.”

Staff of the Hydrographic Academy stressed that for its existing students, the transition would be seamless.

Within its first two years, the Academy has enrolled over 430 students from 38 countries, with the biggest representations coming from the UK, United States, Australia, Nigeria, South Africa and Indonesia.