A Europe-backed project has developed new training courses and online tools to address a shortage of people skilled in operating advanced underwater technologies.
Underwater technologies are used in areas including offshore renewable energy, aquaculture, marine biodiversity conservation and underwater cultural heritage, the European Commission said in a release on Wednesday.
It added that a “shared challenge” across these fields is a lack of trained professionals able to use the technologies in a sustainable way.
The uBlueTec project, coordinated by the University of Aix-Marseille and supported by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, designed or upgraded more than 30 courses covering underwater technologies as well as digital and green skills, the statement said.
It also ran 37 pilot sessions to test and validate the training, combining classroom teaching with practical field experience.
Professor Kalliopi Baika of Aix-Marseille University said the project’s “core achievement” was “investment in people” through hands-on training and cross-sector collaboration, according to the statement.
Hub, jobs platform and field training
A digital “uBlueTec Hub” has been set up to bring together and promote training opportunities in underwater technologies, including modules on marine robotics, coastal geomorphology, marine protected areas, and underwater survey and excavation techniques, the Commission said.
The hub also includes a MOOC — a free online course designed for large numbers of learners — focused on green skills for sustainable underwater technology solutions.
The project also launched an online recruitment platform, Bluetec.jobs, which includes job matching and a “skills gap analysis” tool that compares a candidate’s profile with job requirements, according to the statement.
In December 2025, uBlueTec held an entrepreneurial acceleration bootcamp, selecting six projects for online training in entrepreneurship, business development and pitching, followed by individual mentoring and a two-day in-person bootcamp where teams pitched to a jury.
One of the project’s field-based pilots was the Aigina 2024 summer school on coastal and underwater archaeology at a submerged harbour site on the Greek island of Aigina, where participants used underwater documentation technologies and operated underwater robots, according to the statement.
The project’s final event is due to take place at a UNESCO international conference on 29 January 2026.
