Sunseeker apprentices and staff welcome Robert Halfon MP during National Apprenticeship Week

Sunseeker has announced that it is once again hiring a record intake of apprentices in 2017. These 40 new hires will include nine for the team in Portland and a further 31 to join the team in Poole and will maintain the total number of apprentices employed at Sunseeker at over 100, which is more than 5 per cent of the total boat building workforce.

This new intake coincides with the start of National Apprenticeship Week, part of the government’s scheme to encourage even more people to choose apprenticeships as a fast-track to a great career. Sunseeker has been part of the government’s apprenticeship Scheme since 1979 and has provided many career opportunities across the business with several of the company’s senior managers having come through the programme.

To mark National Apprenticeship Week, on Tuesday 7 March, Sunseeker welcomed the Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills, Robert Halfon MP. During his visit to Sunseeker’s Technology Centre, Robert met with apprentices who work across a range of disciplines including the electrical manufacture of helms and consoles, through to the handcrafting of furniture and upholstery.

The new apprentices for 2017 will have four different specialisms to choose from, including Composite Boat Building, Carpentry Boat Building, Marine Electrical and Marine Engineering. The apprentices will play a pivotal role on the production lines of the iconic Sunseeker yacht range, from the sporty San Remo through to the brand’s flagship superyachts. The apprentices will learn traditional shipwright methods to loft and construct boats from wood and composites, as well as installing a wide variety of mechanical and electrical systems, such as hydraulic circuits and stunning audio and visual systems.

Sunseeker has recognised the benefits of developing the skills of the future through apprentices for over 35 years and this year’s recruits will take the total number in training at any one time to the highest ever since the scheme was first introduced in 1979. Working in partnership with Bournemouth & Poole College and its specialist Marine Technology Centre, Sunseeker is firmly committed to developing the high standard of skills required the Marine Engineers and Boat Builders of the future.

Commenting on National Apprenticeship Week, Sunseeker’s Talent Manager Alex Bowman, said: “It was fantastic to welcome Robert Halfon MP to our Technology Centre as part of National Apprenticeship Week. We were particularly pleased to be able to introduce him to some of the apprentices from our successful Scheme and demonstrate the continued investment we are making in creating our skilled workforce of the future.

Our Apprenticeship Scheme is hugely beneficial; we would not have been able to grow so quickly if it were not for the people that have developed with us. Many of our highly skilled colleagues, manufacturing leaders and international aftersales team joined us as apprentices.”

Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, Robert Halfon added: “National Apprenticeship Week is the highlight of the apprenticeships year – it showcases the best of the best and celebrates the positive impact apprenticeships and traineeships have on learners and employers.

There really has never been a better time to be an apprentice. I congratulate Sunseeker for getting involved, giving people a chance to climb up the career ladder and get on in the world of work.”

More about the roles

Sunseeker International is offering apprentices a choice of three four-year Advanced Apprenticeship pathways in Marine Mechanical Engineering, Marine Electrical and Carpentry Boat Building, as well as one, three-year Intermediate Apprenticeship pathway in Composite Boat Building.

The team at Poole will be looking to recruit eight Composite Boat Builders, eleven Carpentry Boat Builders, two Carpentry Bench Joiners, five Marine Electricians and five Marine Engineers, while the team at Portland is looking to recruit seven Composite Boat Builders and two Carpentry Boat Builders.

To apply, students should visit www.thecollege.co.uk/sunseeker and use the ‘apply online’ function.

For more information please visit: https://www.sunseeker.com/en/recruitment or call Sunseeker Human Resources on 01202 943 537.

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