Sherrin and Tina on SUCCESS.

For the past 18 months HMAS SUCCESS has been home to midshipmen Tina Lobban, 18 of Cairns and Sherrin Whiteman, 18 of Warners Bay.

Both were part of the ADFA 2000 scheme developed to prepare future seaman and supply officers for their careers at sea.

The Navy found that some officers upon graduating from ADFA were not fully prepared or aware of what life at sea is really like.

ADFA 2000 is about spending a year in the fleet before going to the Academy, to ensure they gain a full understanding of what their job at sea entails.

It also gives those that decide the Navy is not the career for them, a chance to get out before they receive a return of service obligation (ROSO).

The scheme is beneficial to both the Navy and the individual.

Tina has chosen the seaman branch while Sherrin seeks to be a supply officer.

Tina was interested in the scheme because of the "try before you buy method."

She said, "coming straight out of high school, I appreciated the opportunity to explore exactly what I will be doing for my career."

Sherrin said ,"I didn't find out about the scheme until September last year, but it didn't really affect me as I would have joined regardless.

"The positive side to it is that we get to understand what our future job really involves and it accommodates those people who are unsure about the job."

SUCCESS