The Mariners for America Conference brings the national maritime workforce conversation to one campus, one schedule, one focused experience. From March 30 to April 1, 2026, join peers and decision-makers at the MITAGS East Campus for three concentrated days on the future of the U.S. mariner workforce.
This conference gathers maritime employers and vessel operators, educators and training leaders, unions, regulators, and workforce-focused nonprofits to solve shared staffing, skills, and retention challenges across the industry.
Why This Conference Matters
MITAGS frames this conference around a single priority: building a strong, sustainable American mariner workforce that can support industry growth without sacrificing safety or quality of life. The demand for skilled mariners is rising, while recruiting, training, and retention systems struggle to keep pace.
The stakes are high. Fleet expansion, new operating profiles, and changing credential requirements increase pressure on an already stretched workforce. At the same time, mariners are asking for clearer career paths, modern training, and better support for life at sea and at home. Addressing those needs requires coordination across sectors, which is why this conference puts all the right people on one campus.
What You'll Gain
- Turn workforce strain into a pipeline plan. Compare approaches to youth outreach, high school engagement, and nontraditional recruitment, then identify concrete actions you can test in your operation or program.
- Engage in honest cross-sector dialogue. Sit at the same tables as regulators, unions, operators, and educators to surface misaligned expectations and map out shared priorities that support long-term workforce health.
- Evaluate new training technologies. See immersive and digital training tools in action, and leave with criteria for assessing them against your safety, competency, and budget goals.
- Understand where credentialing is headed. Learn how credentialing modernization can reduce administrative friction, shorten time-to-seat, and support clearer progression from entry-level roles to advanced endorsements.
- Address wellbeing as a workforce strategy. Work through practical tools for managing stress, fatigue, and isolation, and define policies, programs, or practices that fit your vessels, campuses, or contracts.
Who Should Attend
Maritime Operators and Employers
You should attend if you’re responsible for recruiting, crewing, or HR and need practical ways to attract and keep qualified mariners in a tight labor market. Walk away with clearer pipeline strategies, tools for career progression, and concrete ideas to support mariner wellbeing and retention.
Maritime Educators and Training Leaders
Attend if you run or teach in academies, community colleges, or in-house training programs and want your curriculum aligned with what employers now expect. Expect to gain frameworks for updating courses, partnering with employers, and integrating new technologies without losing rigor or safety focus.
Policy Makers, Regulators, and Unions
This conference is for you if you work on maritime workforce policy or regulation and want direct input from the operators, mariners, and educators affected by your decisions. You’ll find practical conversations that connect policy intent to day-to-day impact.
Solution Providers and Exhibitors
Plan to join if you provide training technology, credentialing tools, staffing services, or wellbeing solutions for maritime organizations. Use this venue to meet decision-makers and position your organization as part of the national mariner workforce conversation.
Three Days, Three Focused Tracks
Day 1: Attracting and Training the Next Generation
Track focus: Pipeline building and entry pathways into maritime careers.
Sessions cover youth outreach and awareness, high school and community program alignment, nontraditional pipeline development, and transition pathway planning workshops where employers and educators sketch step-by-step routes from awareness to first credential.
Practical takeaway: Leave Day 1 with a draft pipeline plan for your fleet, campus, or program.
Day 2: Career Development and Modern Training Methods
Track focus: Skills growth, delivery methods, and credentialing that keep pace with operational demands.
Explore immersive and digital training technology, remote and blended learning design, cyber skills development, and credentialing innovation that can shorten administrative cycles and clarify career ladders.
Practical takeaway: By the end of Day 2, you’ll have a training roadmap that links role levels to skill sets, with clear options for delivery, assessment, and credential alignment.
Day 3: Wellbeing and Quality of Life for Mariners
Track focus: Retention, health, and the day-to-day experience of working at sea and on rotation.
Sessions address stress and fatigue management, isolation and mental health, onboard and shoreside support toolkits, and retention strategy roundtables connecting wellbeing efforts to turnover and incident reduction.
Practical takeaway: You leave Day 3 with a short list of policy changes, program ideas, and communication plans ready to test within your own operation or institution.
Featured Speakers
- Ally Tenorio, Women Offshore Foundation – Focus on mentorship, retention, and shipboard culture. Expect concrete tools for building mentorship programs and improving onboard communication norms.
- Andy Parkin, Kilo – Expertise in immersive and remote learning technologies. Learn how to assess digital platforms using evaluation frameworks that account for safety, performance, and budget.
- Dr. Elspeth McMahon, Old Dominion University – Workforce strategy and retention expert. Gain structured frameworks for aligning curricula with role requirements and integrating retention metrics into program decisions.
- Nate Gilman, MM SEAS – Credentialing modernization specialist. Understand upcoming credentialing trends and concrete steps to simplify the path from entry credentials to advanced endorsements.
See full speaker profiles
Networking That Works
Throughout all three days, the schedule builds in frequent touchpoints where you can compare notes, explore partnership ideas, and stress-test your plans with people who understand the same workforce pressures.
- Evening receptions provide structured time to introduce your organization, identify potential partners, and set up follow-up meetings.
- Coffee breaks between sessions serve as built-in connection points to compare approaches and swap contact details.
- Working lunch sessions center on topics such as pipeline development, credentialing, and well-being, allowing you to hear how different regions and sectors address the same workforce issues.
- The exhibit area functions as a hands-on networking hub where you can see training technology, credentialing tools, and wellbeing resources aligned with conference themes.
Stay On Campus at Maritime Conference Center
On-campus lodging at the Maritime Conference Center keeps the entire conference in one place. Sessions, networking, meals, and your room are all within a short walk, reducing transit time and keeping your focus on the mariner workforce agenda instead of logistics.
No commuting between venues means more time for real conversations. If you attend with colleagues, it’s easy to split up across sessions, regroup in common areas, and compare takeaways before the next block of programming.
Sponsorship and Exhibit Opportunities
Sponsorship positions your organization at the center of the national conversation on the U.S. mariner workforce. Choose a package that matches your goals and budget:
- Pilot Sponsor ($4,000): Maximum event visibility, attendee tickets, and exhibit table
- Master Sponsor ($2,000): High visibility, attendee ticket, and exhibit table
- Navigator Sponsor ($1,000): Brand visibility across select materials
- Dinner Sponsor ($2,000): Branding connected to a key networking meal
- Lanyard Sponsor ($500): Logo placement on attendee lanyards
- Exhibit Table Only ($500): Dedicated table in the exhibit area
Registration Details
Registration follows two simple pricing windows:
- Early Bird Registration is available through Feb. 28th, offering the most favorable rate.
- Standard Registration begins after the early bird deadline and continues until Mar. 29th or until capacity is reached.
Your registration includes access to all three days of sessions, networking receptions, working lunches, exhibit hall access, and conference materials. Lodging is booked separately through the conference hotel block.
Take Action
The Mariners for America Conference brings together the people shaping the U.S. mariner workforce for three focused days of practical, shared solutions. You’ll leave with clear pipeline strategies, updated training and credentialing ideas, and concrete steps that support mariner wellbeing and long-term retention.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When and where is the conference?
The Conference is March 30 to April 1, 2026, at the MITAGS East Campus in the United States. - How much is the registration fee, and what does it include?
Registration is $1000 per person. It includes access to all three days of programming, networking receptions, working lunches, the exhibit area, and conference materials. Lodging is booked separately through the conference hotel block. - How can my organization sponsor or exhibit?
Choose from several tiers ranging from $500 to $4,000, each offering different levels of visibility, tickets, and exhibit presence. Select the tier that aligns with your objectives and submit your interest to reserve placement. - Can teams attend together?
Yes. The conference is designed for cross-functional teams. Attending together allows you to split up across sessions and leave with shared workforce plans. Teams benefit from registering within the Early Bird pricing window.