The British Department for Transport has today announced that funding has been granted to educational charity, the 1851 Trust, in the interest of supporting young women into maritime careers. Coinciding with International Women’s Day, the British government’s support aims to promote the breadth of maritime careers available to women.

The 1851 Trust has been granted £100,000, which will be put towards 10 roadshows around the UK, where girls aged 11 to 14 will have the opportunity to speak to women who work within the maritime sector prior to making their GCSE choices.

“I am determined to ensure that the great career opportunities in the maritime industry are open to everyone, no matter their gender,” says maritime minister Nusrat Ghani. “This International Women’s Day, I am delighted to support the 1851 Trust in linking up 1,500 young women with female role models and inspire them to consider a life at sea or on shore.”

“Having seen the work the Trust has done, encouraging young people to consider maritime careers, I am confident this series of roadshows will inspire and provide plenty of food for thought about the breadth of possibilities available in the industry.”

“I am determined to ensure that the great career opportunities in the maritime industry are open to everyone, no matter their gender. This International Women’s Day, I am delighted to support the 1851 Trust in linking up 1,500 young women with female role models and inspire them to consider a life at sea or on shore.”

- Nusrat Ghani, Maritime Minister 

Based in Portsmouth, the 1851 Trust is working to challenge young people’s perceptions of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), and encourage young people to choose these subjects in their studies. The Trust is also the official charity of the INEOS Team UK and uses professional sailing to get more young people excited about these subjects.

“We launched the 1851 Trust in 2014 as the Official Charity of the British America’s Cup Team with the aspiration to inspire young people about the cutting-edge technology and innovation behind the campaign,” says Sir Ben Ainslie, Patron of the 1851 Trust. “The work the Trust does to showcase STEM in such an exciting and positive light, in particular with girls, is fantastic and much needed. To now be delivering a nationwide STEM programme for the Department for Transport is testament to their high-quality education offering.”

“As a professional sports team, we truly hope to inspire not just the next generation of America’s Cup sailors, but engineers and innovators alike.”

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