Navigating the Digital Tide: Drivers, Key Factors, and Challenges in Maritime Education and Training for the Digital Era

Abstract

Digital transformation (DT) is fundamentally reshaping the maritime industry, where the critical bottleneck has shifted from technology availability to human capital readiness. Despite extensive attention to maritime technology, systematic investigation into the digital transition of Maritime Education and Training (MET) remains underdeveloped. Here, we conduct a comprehensive systematic literature review employing the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework to identify and structure the drivers, key factors, and challenges underpinning MET digitalization. Analyzing 101 publications from five major academic databases (2015–2025) alongside supplementary sources, we identify 7 drivers, 11 key factors, and 9 challenges. Our analysis reveals that while technological advancements initiate digitalization, organizational capabilities (digital leadership, departmental collaboration, dynamic training objectives) and environmental conditions (policy support, career planning, ecological pressure) predominantly determine transformation effectiveness. Critical barriers including conservative educational models, difficulty in quantifying digitalization outcomes, and uneven distribution of digital resources transcend purely technical solutions. These findings demonstrate the necessity of a fundamental paradigm shift from technology-centric to people-oriented approaches in MET transformation. We propose an integrative analytical framework that prioritizes seafarer career development and cognitive skill cultivation, providing structured guidance for future scholarly research and institutional planning in navigating MET's digital transition toward a sustainable maritime future.