Excellent apprentices awarded: promoting skills and talent in the leisure marine sector

Industry associations recognise the importance of new bright employees and students entering the leisure marine sector and celebrate the achievements of apprentices. The Australian Apprentice of the Year gets to travel around the world to visit METSTRADE as their prize.

Students that choose to develop their skills with an apprenticeship in companies in the leisure boating sector of Australia, can enter the ‘Marine Apprentice of the Year Award’ that is organised annually by ÀIMEX, the Australian International Marine Export group. The winner gets to travel to the other side of the world and stay in Amsterdam to visit the METSTRADE show in November. 

Along with other awards in the marine industry, this year’s winner was announced at the Australian Marine Industry Awards Gala Dinner, May 22nd. She is Jade Ralph, a student in her fourth year of a Mechanical Fitting Apprenticeship at Echo Marine Group. Jade is honoured for her positive attitude, ability to mentor fellow apprentices, and exceptional pipe bending skills.

Along with the AIMEX delegates, she will come to visit METSTRADE in November and experience the world’s biggest B2B show in the leisure marine industry. In addition to the show visit, the delegation from AIMEX will do a shipyard tour along Dutch yards, in which young ms. Ralph will also join.

Echo Marine Group: training ground for award-winning marine apprentices

Echo Marine Group that provides the learning and working experience for Jude Ralph, is a shipyard building super yachts, commercial craft and naval vessels based in Henderson, at the Australian west coast. In 2023, too, an apprentice from this yard won the Marine Apprentice of the Year Award. Brent Studman was then a third year apprentice as a cabinet maker in the fit-out department of Echo Marine Group. As a teenager, Studman sailed aboard tall ship ‘Leeuwin’ to gain the adventurous sailing experience of manning a three masted tall ship.Multi-talented marine apprentices: from biomedical science to superyacht welding

Brent travelled together with Jasmine Willoughby, the 2020 winner that could not go to Amsterdam any earlier because of the pandemic. Willoughby was an apprentice in engineering and construction at Aus Ships Group. Her experience and interests cover a wide range, as she previously worked in a pharmacy and acquired a degree in Biomedical science, then started building wooden signs and got interested in woodwork and construction. From there, she got an apprenticeship in Superyacht Welding through East Coast apprenticeships, that led her Aus Ships Group. Willoughby now works as Safety Representative and salesperson for this yard from Brisbane, eastern Australia.

International outreach from the Australian marine industry has been on a rise with the record attendance to the Australian pavilion at the 2023 edition of METSTRADE show, counting 15 participants. Studman and Willoughby experienced a trade show vibrant of optimism and innovation and were impressed with the size of the marine industry and the international co-operation of all the companies attending from all over the world.

British marine apprentice of the year award: celebrating talent in the UK marine sector

Following the Australian example, trade organisation British Marine is hosting the ‘British Marine Apprentice of the Year’ award. This new award will be presented at the Southampton Boat Show in September. Companies in the leisure marine sector that have apprentices who they want to nominate, or the apprentices themselves, should send in a 3 minute video introducing the apprentice’s role in the company and showing their excellence. 
Ten finalists are selected who get tickets for the boat show and who will attend the Apprentice Recognition Ceremony. The award is launched to celebrate the talents of young and learning workers in the marine industry, including small pleasure craft, small commercial craft and super yachts. British Marine CEO Lesley Robinson acknowledges the innovative spirit of apprentices: “This award not only highlights individual excellence but also underscores the vital role that apprentices play in the future of the marine sector.”

British Marine Electrical and Electronics Association apprentice competition

British Marine award comes in addition to the 14 year running Apprentice Competition, organised by the British Marine Electrical and Electronics Association (BMEEA). The award ceremony for this one is at the workboat exhibition SeaWork in Southampton and as such not presented in a yachting environment. Excellent apprentices however, develop skills that may benefit both pleasure and commercial craft.