Apprentices today are the Managers of Tomorrow Berthon Boat Co Ltd has traded continuously since 1877 and is a family run international business based on the banks of Lymington River in Hampshire. Berthon cater for all aspects of boat maintenance for leisure and commercial vessels, as well owning a marina. Training new members of staff has always formed a key part of their business model. Now regularly recruiting apprentices, we chat to their marketing manager, Helen, about the opportunities they can offer.
Berthon’s apprenticeship program has been established for more than 100 years, and today many of their employees have been with them for their entire careers, with others returning after a short exploration elsewhere. Each year there is a new intake choosing to build skills in Marine Engineering, Marine Electrics & Electrical Installation, Shipwright (Boat Building), and Painting & Spraying. Each apprentice works closely with various mentors to develop a well-rounded knowledge of their chosen specialism. The overall aim of the programme is to provide every candidate with the skills they need to form and enjoy a long career in the maritime industry. When merited or if ambition 20
Make The Future Yours! Issue 2
prevails, they develop their apprentices to be the managers of tomorrow, to become leaders for the future of Berthon, and the industry as a whole. Berthon has multiple pay grade levels to compensate fairly, not just because of hand skills but people skills as well. Their apprenticeship programme encourages applications from all that meet the baseline requirements in terms of technical interest and academic ability. However, it is clear that very few women are entering their industry, a trend we would like to see reversed. In the boatyard, apprentices have shown that with the right parameters for learning, the
