An Investigation into the Role of Maritime Education and Training in Developing Offshore Engineering Competence in Nigeria: A Critical Realist Study

Maritime education and training systems are the institutional mechanism through which nations develop the human capital required for participation in technologically sophisticated maritime sectors including offshore engineering. This study critically investigates the causal mechanisms through which the Nigerian maritime education and training system does or does not produce offshore engineering competence adequate for the needs of the Nigerian offshore sector. Adopting a critical realist philosophical framework and a theory-driven evaluation research design, the study examines the generative mechanisms operating within and between maritime training institutions, industry employers, regulatory bodies, and the broader political economy of Nigerian education. Data were collected through eighty-one semi-structured interviews, seven focus groups, and documentary analysis of curriculum specifications, accreditation records, and industry competence assessments at nine maritime educational institutions and twelve offshore industry employer organisations. The critical realist retroductive analysis identifies three generative mechanisms that produce the persistent competence gap between maritime graduates and offshore industry requirements: curriculum-industry misalignment sustained by weak feedback channels, structural resource constraints that limit practical training effectiveness, and a credentialism norm within institutions that prioritises certification over demonstrated competence. The study contributes an original critical realist account of maritime education effectiveness that advances beyond descriptive accounts by identifying the causal structures responsible for observed outcomes. Keywords: maritime education, offshore engineering competence, critical realism, training quality, Nigeria