How building superyachts builds lives

Freddie Ambrose exudes that sort of industrious energy and confidence that comes with an obvious passion for carpentry, and from engagement with his job. He is a beacon not only of a vibrant and diverse yacht and superyacht sector but also a clear example of how owners at the top of the yachting tree are creating opportunities for fresh young talent the world over. Ambrose, 22, is one of the thousands of people globally who are currently undertaking an apprenticeship in the yachting industry, in his case at Princess Yachts in the UK.

“The opportunity came up with Princess and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to gain some quality skills that I can take forward in the rest of my career,” Ambrose enthuses. “There were 66 of us in my year which is I think the biggest intake Princess has had in one year group, ranging from 16- to 17-year-olds fresh out of school up to the oldest at 31.”

Princess started its scheme in 1995 with five apprentices, but things have grown a little since then – there are currently 168 people at various stages of their apprenticeships within the company, and the yard’s scheme was recognised in 2020 in the prestigious Princess Royal Training Awards. Moreover, some 10 per cent of the shipyard’s management (and one director) started in the company as apprentices. “When we take on individuals each year, we look for some that will be our future leaders and some that will be our solid craftsmen,” offers Alison Thompson, Head of Learning & Development at Princess. “Over 80 per cent of each boat we build is handcrafted so we have to keep that skill set within the business to make sure that we’re not just fit for now, but fit for the future.”

It is, says Thompson, part of ongoing succession planning, which also seeks to identify potential skill shortages three to five years into the future in order to tailor current apprenticeship pathways. But it’s more than just bringing in fresh talent to the business. “That fresh talent brings fresh innovation, fresh ideas,” she explains. “They’re learning from our real established craftspeople, but they also bring in some fresh thinking as well, and that works really well for our business.”

It’s the same for yards all along the coast, and far, far beyond – apprenticeship schemes in the marine industry are proving key the world over, not only in helping the industry react to extraordinary demand from the heightened interest in boating and superyachting post-COVID, but also in bolstering key skills and in supporting local communities. Princess, for example, employs over 3,000 people and is one of the largest employers in the region. “We have up to three generations working for us, and we have a huge impact on the local community,” Thompson offers. “We’re right down in the depths of Devon (in southwest UK) and people think we’re a very small boat yard somewhere. They don’t realise the actual skill level and the sheer scale of the operation.”

Further down the coast from Princess is the Pendennis shipyard, which undertakes both superyacht refit and newbuild projects, and which has been a mainstay of the town of Falmouth for three decades. “Pendennis is a large employer in Falmouth,” says joint Managing Director Mike Carr, “and every year we take on between 14 and 20 apprentices – and in a town of 20,000 people, that’s quite a big commitment. But we get it back in spoonfuls – we don’t do it out of pure philanthropy, we do it because it’s the obvious thing to do for an engineering company, or any company. It allows the company not only to grow but also to make sure you have the best skills and you have the people who perform in the best way.” It’s clearly a scheme that works – one third of the shipyard’s current workforce, including many in management, came through the award-winning programme. 

It’s not a just a local phenomenon either. On the opposite side to the world to Princess and Pendennis, Australian yachtbuilder Riviera is also investing in its apprentices, taking on 41 at the start of 2021 to take its total to 89 out of a 600-strong workforce. “The apprentice programme at Riviera is an important part of our commitment to developing the master craftsmen and women of the future,” enthuses Adam Houlahan, Riviera’s Safety & Training Manager. On the same stretch of coast, Rivergate Marina has been working with Australia’s East Coast Apprenticeships to recruit apprentices for a new superyacht specialist welding pre-vocational programme. Back in the northern hemisphere, British builder Sunseeker announced early in 2022 that it was adding another 50 technical apprenticeships to its ongoing and highly popular scheme, and these are just a handful of hundreds of examples.

Some schemes – such as the award-winning programme at Feadship or the ongoing intake at superyacht refit yard MB92, which added another nine apprentices to its La Ciotat operation this year – continue as individual programmes, which others draw backing from superyacht clusters keen to cement and to grow regional skills. The Italian Superyacht Yacht Life foundation (ISYL), for example, aims to provide training in trades and in crewing and is backed by several Italian shipyards including Azimut Benetti and Codecasa. 

The truth is that nearly every yacht and superyacht yard – and many hundreds of connected businesses beyond, from fabricators to design studios – draw on apprenticeship schemes to develop their next generation of craftspeople and superyacht savvy professionals, and to grow their own businesses, and this in turn has an almost incalculable positive impact on people and their communities. One only has to look at the bristling enthusiasm of an apprentice like Freddie Ambrose, as he talks excitedly about where his career may take him, to realise the significance of yachts and superyachts to ordinary lives.