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A Princess Royal Award for Princess Yachts’ Apprenticeship Programme

by Julia Bena Aug 26, 2020 2020 awards , In the press

South Devon College employer partner, Princess Yachts, are thrilled to announce that they have been awarded a Princess Royal Training Awards for their #Apprenticeship scheme. The awards are selected by HRH The Princess Royal and the President of City & Guilds Group to recognise organisations whose training has delivered measurable business impact.

The City & Guilds Group announced on Friday, 14 August that 43 recipients from a wealth of sectors have been commended by the 2020 Princess Royal Training Awards. The already award winning Princess Yachts Apprenticeship scheme certainly deserves the recognition it is receiving, as recruitment continued throughout the Covid-19 lockdown period via Zoom interviews, and a record number of apprentices will be starting their programme at Princess Yachts in September 2020, with apprentices placed across all areas of the business.

Now in its fifth year, the Princess Royal Training Awards recognises employers across the United Kingdom with outstanding training and development programmes that have had a direct impact on business performance. Princess Yachts as a 2020 winner of this award have demonstrated ‘exceptional commitment to training, despite facing unprecedented challenges of Covid-19’ according to the judges.

Princess Yachts won the award for ‘positioning apprenticeships as a viable career choice’. Princess was recognised for having invested in its apprenticeship programme to ensure that it has a strong talent pipeline in place. Apprenticeships at Princess are open to employees of any age, with apprentices progressing their career path within the business and in fact 10% of the current managers within the business are former apprentices. Getting an apprenticeship with Princess Yachts is widely viewed as an extremely attractive career opportunity in the region.

South Devon College have helped to accommodate the growth of Princess Yacht’s apprenticeships since forming their partnership in October last year with a unique and innovative apprenticeship programme. At the College’s Paignton Campus is the dedicated Princess Yachts Learning Academy workshop facility. Inside is one of the luxury yacht builder’s V40 hulls allowing apprentices to work with the same industry-standard products and equipment, whether at their workplace or studying at the College.

“We are so pleased to be awarded a Princess Royal Training Award for our apprenticeship programme,” says Alison Thompson, Head of Learning & Development at Princess Yachts,

“the assessment process was rigorous and very different this year taking place remotely via MS Teams. However, the assessors took the time to speak to some of our apprentices and to gain a better understanding of our collaborative partnership with South Devon College who support us in the delivery of our programme. It is great to know we are setting the right standards, experience and support to our apprentices as they begin their career with us and ultimately the marine industry.”

Article originally posted on the FE News website: https://www.fenews.co.uk/press-releases/53830-a-princess-royal-award-for-princess-yachts-apprenticeship-programme-based-at-south-devon-college

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A record 66 apprentices to join Princess Yachts this year

Published on: 22 September 2020

British Marine is delighted to report that Princess Yachts is taking on a record number of 66 new apprentices this September, after conducting 224 ‘Zoom’ interviews for the positions over the lockdown period. This year has seen the highest number of female applicants in the history of Princess Yachts’ Apprenticeship scheme, with 35 female applicants; a 98% increase than the previous year. Of the 35 applicants, 14 women have been successful in joining the company in September in areas across the business, working in carpentry, engineering, composites and business administration. The award-winning Learning and Development team took a new approach to recruiting over the past 12 months, holding specific career insight days at Princess Yachts and in the wider community, taking part as guest speakers at education events and participating in both Women into Engineering and Women in Marine events at South Devon College to help tackle the gender imbalance within the marine industry and inform female secondary school pupils of the career paths available within the sector. Caitlin Towriess, a first-year carpentry apprentice joining Princess Yachts in September says: “The reason I applied for Princess Yachts is because I’ve been told it’s one of the best places to do an apprenticeship and to help me kick start a career rather than just working odd jobs. I can’t wait to start learning something I’ll be able to use throughout the rest of my life from professionals and one of the best companies in the business.” Princess Yachts is one of the largest employers in the South of England, and to support the expansion, the company moved their training to British Marine member South Devon College (SDC) in September 2019. South Devon College is the ideal environment in which to train Princess Yachts’ future workforce over the four-year traineeship. The college has provided a dedicated 90 metre Princess branded facility with mock-up hull for Princess apprentices to practice their areas of specialism in relation to their individual apprenticeship. The college’s Marine Academy also includes a working boatyard with 10 vessels on which to work and train. SDC offers a Hi-tech Digital Innovation Centre with 3D printing and rapid prototyping facilities, which provides apprentices with ongoing exposure to the latest marine technology initiatives. One tutor manages 15 apprentices, with monthly reviews to assist with training and development and all apprentices receive a laptop to ensure consistent recording and completion of course work. Princess Yachts’ apprenticeships include both ‘on and off’ the water activities with additional qualifications including RYA Marine Powerboat L2, Sea Survival, VHF Radio Operators Licence and First Aid. The Open Awards Exploring Maritime Skills qualification provides skills in lean manufacturing, problem-solving, creative thinking, effective communication and leadership. An additional introduction to vessel stability and construction and mooring & securing a vessel education (theory and practical) ensures apprentices have a diverse range of skills that will meet the future requirements of the industry. “Princess Yachts is where I started my engineering career,” says Hayley Spencer, a Level 4 Marine Engineer, “I joined the company on a Level 3 Engineering apprenticeship which lasted 4 years, this was a hard yet very rewarding journey. Thanks to the support of the training team and all of the mentors I worked with over that time, I successfully completed my apprenticeship. I then progressed to a Level 4 Marine Engineering apprenticeship last year to further my knowledge and skills base even more. I hope this qualification will open up new opportunities. Learning and working in engineering can throw up different challenges every day. I started on this path 7 years ago and I am now an apprentice mentor and enjoy passing my skills and knowledge onto the new apprentices.” In addition to their training at SDC and at Princess Yachts’ manufacturing facilities, apprentices act as ambassadors of the luxury yacht brand, taking responsibility in visiting local schools and educating future generations about the environment. Apprentices demonstrate practical examples of how STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) related subjects can be used in future careers, most recently, developing a scaled-down version of a wooden, model boat kit with a self-propelling engine to share during the STEM workshops.  In 2019, Princess Yachts partnered with the National Marine Aquarium (NMA) to deliver the STEMFest Big Boat Build providing 1,200 children aged 7 – 14 years old the opportunity to practically learn the science, technology, engineering and mathematics of boat building. Each of the 35 local schools participating received a flat-pack boat from Princess with the apprentices supporting as STEM ambassadors to assist the construction of each boat, providing expert support and guidance. The 35 completed boats will be stored at the NMA ready for their maiden launch in the ‘Kids Afloat Regatta’, in which representatives from all 35 participating schools will have the opportunity to row their customised boats through Plymouth Sound as part of the Mayflower celebrations. Princess Yachts also work with local events and charities, running carpentry events at Port Eliot Festival in 2019 and working with First Light, a local South West-based charity offering counselling to survivors of sexual abuse in Plymouth and the surrounding area. Apprentices created a sandbox to be used as part of the charity’s creative therapies used with under 18s. The already award-winning Princess Yachts Apprenticeship scheme has recently received a Princess Royal Training Award for their Apprenticeship scheme in 2020. Now in its fifth year, the awards are selected by HRH The Princess Royal and the President of City & Guilds Group to recognise employers across the United Kingdom with outstanding training and development programmes that have had a direct impact on business performance.  Princess Yachts won the award for ‘positioning apprenticeships as a viable career choice’. Princess was recognised for having demonstrated ‘exceptional commitment to training, despite facing unprecedented challenges of COVID-19’. The judges highlighted the fact that Princess has clearly invested in its apprenticeship programme to ensure that it has a strong talent pipeline in place. Apprenticeships at Princess are open to employees of any age, with a large number of apprentices progressing their career path within the business. Getting an apprenticeship with Princess Yachts is widely viewed as an extremely attractive career opportunity in the region.

British Marine, Head of Training, Blue Davies comments: “It’s great to see the number of apprentices recruited by Princess Yachts this year, despite the current COVID-19 pandemic. It is also encouraging to see female apprentices being employed in boat building, marine engineering and composite roles. British Marine is currently coordinating an Apprentice Trailblazer group in developing a Marine Electrical Apprenticeship Standard which will complement the already developed Boat Builder and Marine Engineer Standards it has developed with some of its members.

“We are so pleased to be awarded a Princess Royal Training Award for our apprenticeship programme,” says Alison Thompson, Head of Learning & Development at Princess Yachts, “the assessment process was rigorous and very different this year taking place remotely via MS Teams. However, the assessors took the time to speak to some of our apprentices and to gain a better understanding of our collaborative partnership with South Devon College who support us in the delivery of our programme. It is great to know we are setting the right standards, experience and support to our apprentices as they begin their career with us and ultimately the marine industry.” All apprentices are offered a position at Princess Yachts once their course has completed, with 98% of the company’s current apprentices choosing to continue their career with Princess. The company currently has 100 apprentices throughout the business with 10% of managers being former Princess apprentices. Tia Lawton, who recently achieved a Distinction in her HR apprenticeship says:  “My HR apprenticeship has been a great experience which I know will be able to take me far in my career. Some of the key challenges have been learning how to deal with various processes, leading projects, understanding best practice and all of the legal aspects which my role in HR entails. All of this has helped me to become more confident in my abilities to be able to engage with the workforce. I look forward to continuing my progression within Princess Yachts and start my CIPD Level 3 course.” Princess Yachts’ apprenticeship scheme will open applications in November-March 2020 for their 2021 intake. 

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A Princess Royal Award for Princess Yachts’ Apprenticeship Programme based at South Devon College

South Devon College (@SDCollege) employer partner, @PrincessYachts, are thrilled to announce that they have been awarded a #PrincessRoyalTrainingAwards for their #Apprenticeship scheme. The awards are selected by HRH The Princess Royal and the President of City & Guilds Group to recognise organisations whose training has delivered measurable business impact.

The City & Guilds Group announced on Friday, 14 August that 43 recipients from a wealth of sectors have been commended by the 2020 Princess Royal Training Awards. The already award winning Princess Yachts Apprenticeship scheme certainly deserves the recognition it is receiving, as recruitment continued throughout the Covid-19 lockdown period via Zoom interviews, and a record number of apprentices will be starting their programme at Princess Yachts in September 2020, with apprentices placed across all areas of the business.

Now in its fifth year, the Princess Royal Training Awards recognises employers across the United Kingdom with outstanding training and development programmes that have had a direct impact on business performance. Princess Yachts as a 2020 winner of this award have demonstrated ‘exceptional commitment to training, despite facing unprecedented challenges of Covid-19’ according to the judges.

Princess Yachts won the award for ‘positioning apprenticeships as a viable career choice’. Princess was recognised for having invested in its apprenticeship programme to ensure that it has a strong talent pipeline in place. Apprenticeships at Princess are open to employees of any age, with apprentices progressing their career path within the business and in fact 10% of the current managers within the business are former apprentices. Getting an apprenticeship with Princess Yachts is widely viewed as an extremely attractive career opportunity in the region.

South Devon College have helped to accommodate the growth of Princess Yacht’s apprenticeships since forming their partnership in October last year with a unique and innovative apprenticeship programme. At the College’s Paignton Campus is the dedicated Princess Yachts Learning Academy workshop facility. Inside is one of the luxury yacht builder’s V40 hulls allowing apprentices to work with the same industry-standard products and equipment, whether at their workplace or studying at the College.

“We are so pleased to be awarded a Princess Royal Training Award for our apprenticeship programme,” says Alison Thompson, Head of Learning & Development at Princess Yachts,

“the assessment process was rigorous and very different this year taking place remotely via MS Teams. However, the assessors took the time to speak to some of our apprentices and to gain a better understanding of our collaborative partnership with South Devon College who support us in the delivery of our programme. It is great to know we are setting the right standards, experience and support to our apprentices as they begin their career with us and ultimately the marine industry.”

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By SuperyachtNews 18 Aug 2020

Princess Yachts receives Princess Royal Training Award

Princess yachts has announced that is has received the award for its apprenticeship scheme….

Princess Yachts has announced that is has been awarded a Princess Royal Training Award for its apprenticeship scheme, awards are selected by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and the president of City & Guilds Group to recognise organisations whose training has delivered measurable business impact.

“We are so pleased to be awarded a Princess Royal Training Award for our apprenticeship programme,” comments Alis Thompson, head of learning & development at Princess Yachts. “The assessment process was rigorous and very different this year taking place remotely via MS Teams. However, the assessors took the time to peak to some of our apprentices and to gain a better understanding of our collaborative partnership with South Devon College who support us in the delivery of our programme. It is great to know we are setting the right standards, experience and support to our apprentices as they begin their career with us and ultimately the marine industry.”

Princess Yachts’ apprenticeship scheme further deserves recognition for its continued recruitment efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown via digital platforms. In 2020, Princess Yachts will welcome a record number of apprenticeships across all areas of the business. According to the Princes Royal Training Award judges, as a 2020 winner of the award, Princess Yachts has demonstrated “exceptional commitment to training, despite facing unprecedented challenges of COVID019”.

Princess Yachts won the award for ‘positioning apprenticeships as a viable career choice’. Princess was recognised for having invested in its apprenticeship programme to ensure that is has a strong talent pipeline in place. In fact, 10 per cent of the current managers at Princess Yachts are former apprentices.

Typically, when the superyacht industry is represented in the mainstream media the articles and images are largely focussed on the cost of the assets themselves, or variously the wealth profiles of the owners and guests. While this is by no means surprising, given that the lives of the ultra-wealth will always be of curious interested to the layman, it is a shame that rich manufacturing stories of the industry are constantly overlooked. While it is unlikely that the recognition of Princess Yachts’ apprenticeship programme will reach the general media, it is nonetheless pleasing to see a business within the market receiving the credit that it is due.

According to The Superyacht Agency, Princess Yachts has delivered an average of 3.3 superyacht projects per year since 2010 with its most prolific coming in 2019 when it delivered seven 30m-plus projects. It is expected that Princess Yachts will deliver three vessels in 2020 with an average LOA of 30.5m

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A Princess Royal Award for Princess Yachts' apprenticeship programme

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Did you know?

From their beginnings in 1965, over 17,000 Princess Yachts have been manufactured. Now, they build an amazing average of 270 yachts a year. This means that every few days another yacht is completed which is incredible!

Over 21 miles of cable go into a 40 M yacht. If you laid the cable along the road, it would take you all the way from Plymouth to Totnes.

In the furniture factory, the team processes 500 sheets of wood a day. The sheets of walnut or oak are produced in Holland and the trees they are taken from are hand-chosen for Princess.

Around 7 times each month, roads in Plymouth are closed between 2.30am – 4.30am so the yachts can be pulled around the roundabouts and down streets in the wrong direction!

The biggest boat has only 13 mm height clearance under the Marsh Mills flyover and in warm weather the tyres need to be deflated to make it under and through.

Princess Yachts own 4 police cars which are driven by police officers (on non-emergency duty) to escort the boats during the early morning moves.

Princess Yachts

Princess Yachts are famous for building some of the world’s finest and most luxurious yachts, which they manufacture at their  5 different sites in Plymouth and sell all over the world.  The company is extremely proud of their Plymouth heritage – their logo includes the words “Crafted in Plymouth”. 80-85% of everything you see on a Princess Yacht has been made in-house by the company’s Plymouth teams.

“Where there’s warm weather and water, you will find Princess Yachts. There’s always a carefully crafted part of Plymouth floating around some of the most beautiful places in the world”   Antony Sheriff, Executive Chairman, Princess Yachts

Princess Yachts is also honoured to be the first luxury yacht manufacturer to officially partner with the Marine Conservation Society. Since 2016 they have worked together to support marine environments, preserving reefs and sea life for present and future generations.

Typical job roles include: Marine Engineering, Fabrication/Welding, Carpentry, Computer Aided Design,Composites, HR, Learning and Development and Finance

Apprenticeships: Princess Yachts has a variety of four year apprenticeship courses available each year including; Marine Engineering, Carpentry/boat building, CAD Development, Fabricating and Welding, Business Administration, HR, Finance, IT and Composites. Find out more about the company’s Apprenticeship Scheme below in the Get to Know Princess Yachts section.

Princess look for potential apprentices with the right attitude, the right qualities and the desire to fulfil their potential – people who can stand out from the crowd and deliver the high standards of quality and service expected in the luxury yacht business. Applicants need to be dedicated, eager to learn, and keen to combine hands on work with study in their own time.

University Placements  are available in the CAD department.

Graduate Programme : Princess Yachts also offers a graduate programme for those who are leaving university, with opportunities in Accountancy and Finance, Business Operational Management, Commercial, Sales, Human Resources, Naval Engineering, Naval Architecture, Marketing and Communications, Development

Princessyachts.com

3000 Employees Worldwide

5 Plymouth Manufacturing Sites at Stonehouse, Coypool, South Yard, Langage, Lee Mill.

Distributors in over 100 countries.

Get to Know Princess Yachts

Princess yachts apprenticeship scheme (section 1 of 2).

Princess works in partnership with the South Devon Marine Academy which has a dedicated Princess Yachts workshop, equipped with a V40 hull where apprentices can learn skills in all aspects of the business, offering a truly immersive experience.

The Scheme offers a mix of classroom-study with practical work and real experience and gives participants the chance to work with world-class boat-builders and other professionals who are passionate about passing on their knowledge.

The first year of the apprenticeship programme, is undertaken at South Devon College where apprentices complete additional marine qualifications such as RYA Powerboat Level 2, RYA Sea Survival, RYA VHF Radio Operators Licence and RYA First Aid as well as taking part in off water activities.  SEE NEXT SECTION FOR MORE INFO…

PRINCESS YACHTS APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME (Section 2 of 2)

In the third week of an apprenticeship, the apprentices can undertake a week long residential programme at Heatree, Exeter with activities such as canoeing, rock climbing and abseiling to learn new skills including team working, self-motivation and leadership.

Apprentices’ are also taken to the Southampton Boat Show where they enjoy attending the Princess Yachts stand to really help them grasp the bigger picture and understand the exceptional global luxury brand that they are now part of.

After their first year is completed, each Apprentice is assigned to work at one of Princess Yachts’ five sites around Plymouth where they will be fully trained in their specialism.

Find out more about the Apprenticeship Scheme here

LUXURY MOTOR YACHTS AND SUPER YACHTS

Princess Yachts craft a range of highly developed luxury yachts, which are said to be the envy of the yacht manufacturing and retail community.

At 40 metres long, the Princess 40M is the company’s largest yacht to date and is classed as a super-yacht. It has the luxury price tag of £18 million! Across the yacht’s three decks, there are sunbathing hideaways, a spa bath, dining areas and even a walk-in beach club.

Click here to take a 360 tour of the Princess 40M and see the amazing craftsmanship of the Plymouth yacht building teams.

The M Class super-yachts are constructed in one of Plymouth’s most historically important areas at South Yard, which is a former naval yard dating back to the 17th century and where the city’s dockyard originally began.

CAREFULLY DESIGNED INTERIORS

As you can see here, the Y85 caters for relaxation as well as speed. The flybridge has a fantastic deck for enjoying the sights and sounds of the ocean and marinas while the saloon creates an elegant space for seating and dining.

There is a careful design process for every element of a Princess Yacht. Each newly designed yacht goes through a Mock-Up stage. This is a one-to-one scale replication of the final yacht to test exactly how the new layout works, to check head heights, door way functionality, and how the furniture and materials will feel in the space. You can watch a film about the Mock-Up Stage here.

NEW PERFORMANCE SPORTS YACHTS

The R Class is the brand new range of performance sports yachts by Princess. The R35 pictured here, is a revolutionary yacht which was designed in conjunction with Ben Ainslie Racing Technologies (yes – Ben Ainslie – one of the most successful Olympics sailors of all time!) and legendary Italian car designers, Pininfarina.

This yacht can reach a top speed of 50 knots. Only the fastest swimming fish in the world could keep up with the R Class yachts.

To confuse the eye and help conceal its design until its official launch, the prototype R35 was actually covered in dazzle camouflage which was created by Plymouth College of Art student, Katie Sheppard. Take a look at the sea trial of the prototype R35 in its dazzle camouflage design here.

SEE INSIDE PRINCESS

If you would like to see more inside Princess Yachts, watch some of their manufacturing processes, find out how the yachts are tested on water and understand the company’s amazing history and craftsmanship – visit the Princess Yachts webpage here  “Inside Princess” and scroll down to watch their interesting video.

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Princess Royal honours apprentices at Plymouth's Princess Yachts

Princess Anne flew in to tour the South Yard production facilities at the UK's largest yacht manufacturer

• 08:00, 15 JUL 2021

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It was the meeting of the princesses when The Princess Royal made a flying visit to Plymouth’s Princess Yachts to honour its apprentices.

Princess Anne flew into Britain’s Ocean City by helicopter to view the UK’s largest yacht manufacturer’s South Yard facility in Devonport.

Also in attendance were her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Devon David Fursdon; chairman of The City and Guilds of London Institute Sir John Armitt; and group chief executive of The City and Guilds of London Institute Kirstie Donnelly.

The Princess Royal visited Princess Yachts as an extension of awarding the company’s apprenticeship programme with a Princess Royal Award in 2020.

The awards are selected by Her Royal Highness and the president of City and Guilds Group to recognise organisations whose training has delivered measurable business impact.

Princess Yachts’ award-winning apprenticeship scheme won The Princess Royal award for “positioning apprenticeships as a viable career choice”. The firm was recognised for having invested in it’s apprenticeship programme to ensure it has a strong talent pipeline in place.

Apprenticeships at Princess Yachts are open to employees of any age, with apprentices progressing their career path within the business and, in fact, 10% of the current managers within the business are former apprentices.

Getting an apprenticeship with Princess Yachts is widely viewed as an extremely attractive career opportunity within the region, the firm said.

During the visit, Princess Anne spoke with the apprentices about their experiences, and congratulated them on their efforts. The Princess Royal was also invited to speak about the importance of The Royal Training Awards and present the apprentice of the year award to three outstanding apprentices: Freddie Ambrose, Tia Lawton and Alex Walsh, in addition to apprentice mentor of the year, which was awarded to Phil Hardy, a bench carpenter at Princess Yachts.

Princess Anne was presented with a gift made by apprentice Freddie Ambrose as a reminder of her visit to the British yacht brand’s facility.

Hayley Spencer, a marine engineering degree apprentice, who was one of the apprentices involved with the application process for the Princess Royal Award said: “It was a privilege to have the opportunity to meet Her Royal Highness and work closely with the learning and development team to apply for the award.

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“I have been training as an apprentice for eight years at Princess and enjoy working with such a supportive training team, with the ability to progress myself and my career within the company.”

Led by Antony Sheriff, executive chairman and chief executive at Princess Yachts, The Princess Royal also undertook a tour of the company’s historic South Yard facility, a former 17th Century naval yard where the company’s largest X Class yachts are constructed.

The tour included the development area where the Princess Yachts’ development boats are built as 1:1 life-size wooden mock-ups; Major Moulds; the X95 build shop; and on-board a finished X95 in the shallow dock, allowing The Princess Royal to follow the journey a Princess yacht follows, from design to completion.

“The Princess Royal Training Awards recognise employers who have invested in the skills of their people and can evidence the impact it has on their businesses,” said Kirstie Donnelly, group chief executive of the City and Guilds Group.

“Princess Yachts have clearly shown that their future success is assured by achieving the demanding standard required and ensuring that their next generation of workers will have the skills required to continue their tradition of both craft and technical excellence.”

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