ODU maritime training alliance designated federal Center of Excellence

The Hampton Roads Maritime Industries Education Alliance (HRMIEA) has been designated a 2024 Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), Old Dominion University announced Thursday.

HRMIEA received the designation, good for five years, on Feb. 16, according to Elspeth McMahon, ODU’s assistant vice president for maritime initiatives.

The alliance is made up of ODU and the Maritime Institute, which provides training for civilian and military mariners. The Maritime Institute offers more than 100 U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy courses in Norfolk, San Diego, Honolulu, and Alameda, California.

Tidewater Community College also got the 2024 designation, according to the MARAD website.

“The significance of being designated a [Center of Excellence] is that it gives us national recognition at the federal level that we demonstrate excellence in assisting the maritime industry with obtaining and maintaining the highest quality of workforce; we provide a high level of maritime education and training to support our nation’s maritime industry,” McMahon told Virginia Business.

MARAD developed the Center of Excellence program to support maritime workforce training and education at designated CoEs. This includes efforts of the designees to admit additional students, recruit and train faculty, expand facilities, create new maritime pathways and award students credit for prior experience, according to a news release.

HRMIEA is one of 32 Centers of Excellence selected nationwide for the five-year designation. The centers are unfunded, but there are hopes of them being federally funded in the future, McMahon said.

“This designation is another step toward ODU’s strategic vision of being a globally recognized destination for maritime enterprise,” she said in a statement. “We are thrilled about our partnership with the Maritime Institute, and we will continue to lead as a top university in maritime education, research, programming and innovation.”