The best route to a career in professional yachting...
A brand new concept in marine training for the yachting sector has been launched by the United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA).
A combined Foundation Degree in Operational Yacht Science and three year UKSA Yachting Cadetship provides an excellent vocational career path for young people hoping to enter the exciting and vibrant commercial yachting industry and work on some of the world’s largest and most luxurious yachts.
The course, designed specifically for young people, is a blended learning programme providing students with both professional yachting industry and academic qualifications. It is delivered through tuition afloat and ashore, experience paid training in the workplace onboard luxury superyachts and through distance learning.
The unique training program has been created by UKSA, the University of Plymouth and Falmouth Marine School in response to the international shortage of trained professional mariners in commercial yachting and to provide young people with a solid foundation for a long and successful career in the marine industry.
The yachting industry welcomes UKSA’s latest development in training for maritime careers. Norma Trease, a director of the International Superyacht Society and editor-in-chief of leading industry magazine The Crew Report comments, “In a yachting environment, where shipyards worldwide are trumpeting an ever increasing magnitude of yacht builds in both size and quantity, the critical shortage of qualified crew members continues to present a serious challenges for yacht owners, captains and industry leaders alike. Therefore, the creation of suitable education opportunities for both potential entry level crew, and the creation of advanced qualifications for senior staff can only benefit the entire industry. By adding the professional Foundation Degree programme to their already successful Cadetship program, UKSA has taken a welcome and much needed leadership position to address the global crew shortage issue. At UKSA aspiring yachting professionals will have the best possible start on a long term yachting career by combining practical training, academic qualifications, industry experience and on the job training.”
UKSA identified an opportunity to combine its already successful three year Yachting Cadetship program with the FdSc Operational Yacht Science, awarded by the University of Plymouth and delivered by Falmouth Marine School (part of the Cornwall College Group). The program provides students with relevant industry qualifications up to MCA Officer of the Watch, periods of paid work onboard large luxury yachts and a Foundation Degree. Upon successfully completing the course, students who wish to obtain a full BSc (Hons) degree in Marine Studies (Ocean Yachting), can do so by attending the University of Plymouth for a further year of study.
Commenting on UKSA’s unique new training program, Jon Ely, UKSA’s Chief Executive said, “We have developed the Foundation Degree program with Falmouth Marine School and the University of Plymouth to meet both the industry need for young professionals and to provide young people with a vocational career path to an exciting, vibrant and rewarding growth industry. UKSA has been highly successful in pioneering training for professional yachtsmen for 16 years and has identified both the need and the benefit to providing degree studies alongside professional qualifications and work experience. It is our intention that the new training program will make maritime careers more attractive to young people and their parents.”
UKSA is accepting applications for the combined Yachting Cadetship and Foundation Degree for intakes in September and April each year, places are currently limited to 10 places for each intake. More information about the training program can be found at www.uksa.org/foundation
The Foundation Degree was launched by UKSA’s Patron, HRH The Princess Royal when she visited the Academy’s base in Cowes on the 8th June 2007. Funding for the training is available via UKSA’s Chichester Scholarship Scheme which was set up in 2005 to assist young people from all financial backgrounds in training for professional yachting careers.