Maritime Centers of Excellence
The Secretary of Transportation, acting through the Maritime Administrator, may designate certain eligible and qualified training entities as Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education (CoE) and may subsequently execute Cooperative Agreements with CoE designees. The Maritime Administration (MARAD) has developed the CoE Program to provide interested parties with comprehensive agency guidance on how best to apply for CoE designation. However, conformity with this CoE applicant guidance, except where explicit in the statute, is voluntary only. MARAD will review and consider all applications it receives and may contact applicants with questions to assist in reviewing their applications. The CoE Program is a voluntary program. Each eligible and qualified training entity is free to decide whether it wishes to participate in the program and apply for a CoE designation.
MARAD is now accepting applications for designation as Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education (CoE)
Please refer to the Federal Register Notice - Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce; Notice of Opportunity to Apply for Training and Education Designation - 85 FR 67599 (October 23, 2020), which requests eligible training entities, who seek to be designated as a CoE, to apply with MARAD.
The application period will be open for 60 days, from October 23 to December 22. Applications should include information to demonstrate that the applicant institution meets eligibility criteria, designation requirements, and attributes consistent with 46 U.S.C. 54102. The Federal Register Notice (pdf copy) provides detailed information on how to apply. See MARAD Press Releases from October 20, 2020 and August 9, 2019.
PREVIOUS MARAD ACTION
The following previous Federal Register Notices provided opportunities for comment on the agency’s policy for CoE:
- CoE - Final policy and information collection requests for comments - 85 FR 13231 (March 6, 2020)
- CoE - Notice and request for comments - 84 FR 34994 (July 19, 2019)
- CoE - Notice and request for comments - 83 FR 25109 (May 31, 2018)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nuns Jain, Program Excellence & Quality Assurance Advisor, Maritime Administration, at Nuns.Jain@dot.gov or 757-322-5801.