Recent developments in higher maritime education in Croatia.

During the last five years, maritime education in Croatia underwent changes in programmes, possible educational paths and students' structure. This paper analyses the recent trends in maritime education in Croatia with particular references to enrolment and graduation processes at higher Maritime Education and Training (MET) institutions. The aim was to examine the students' structure developments and the correlation between recent economical fluctuations in Croatia and attractiveness of seafaring among young people. The authors have examined data gathered from two higher MET institutions in Zadar and Rijeka from 2010 to 2014. The results of the research have shown that GDP fluctuations i.e. the economic situation in the state has an influence on the enrolment at higher MET institutions. Furthermore, the results have shown that grammar school graduates and those from other four-year vocational schools are starting to choose seafaring as their profession increasingly. Today, in both cities, traditionally oriented to seafaring, students enrolled at higher MET institutions who graduated from maritime schools are significantly in the minority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]