Modern dredging contractors are often large corporations with hundreds, if not thousands, of employees. These companies may have affiliates worldwide, be linked to many subsidiaries and joint ventures. Projects often take place far from the headquarters or home base of the company. The complexities of economic and environmental issues, the enormity of the vessels in size and in variety of functions, and the technologies with which these ships are equipped, demand the expertise of many individuals, working as a team, and this demands structural education and instruction. People with higher education degrees in a wide variety of fields are employed in the dredging industry, however, only a few universities offer studies specific to dredging related subjects.

Higher education, universities, institutions

Many industries are in need of highly skilled professionals in engineering and related fields and this is certainly true in the maritime and dredging
sectors. To promote both hydraulic engineering as a study choice and employment opportunities within the dredging industry, the IADC provides educational information to direct young people toward appropriate maritime programmes.
Some of these courses are undergraduate programmes in hydraulic engineering as well as civil and mechanical engineering related to
dredging and maritime construction.
A few colleges and universities have post-graduate and master programmes specifically aimed at dredging and maritime construction. Amongst the best known are:

• Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, whose Engineering Faculty offers master and post graduate programmes for Hydraulic Engineering, Dredging Engineering and Offshore Engineering;
• Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas USA, which is located at the university’s Center for Dredging Studies within its Department of Ocean Engineering;
• UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education has a Master of Science in Water Science and Engineering in Delft, the Netherlands.

Many more studies in associated fields such as environmental, ocean and coastal engineering are appropriate study paths to a career in the dredging industry.