Students wanted. No tuition fees necessary. Must be prepared to undertake expenses-paid world travel in exchange for high tax-free earnings.

It might sound too good to be true but Scottish Enterprise yesterday launched a £250,000 campaign to get young Scots to take the bait. Its objective is to triple the number of recruits signing up to train as Merchant Navy officers over the next three years, reversing the decline to match the recovery of the UK's mercantile fleet after the recession of the 1980s. Otherwise, according to Department of Transport figures, the number of Merchant Navy officers could fall by 50% by 2021.

Careers at sea tend to be short - seven years on average - but the country's extensive shipping industry also has a thirst for onshore ship management staff with maritime experience.

Half of the 600 who take up training every year are from Scotland, so the Glasgow College of Nautical Studies, where the campaign was launched, has a crucial role. The course lasts three-and-a-half years and the cost will be met by the sponsoring firm, which will also pay the student a salary. Minimum entry is four Standard grades including English, maths and physics. An officer of the watch at 19 can start work at upwards of £22,000 - often tax-free.