Berthon Boat Company Scoops Regional Apprenticeship Award
Published on 1/11/2012
BMF member, Berthon Boat Company Ltd based in Lymington has been awarded the title of Medium Employer of the Year at the National Apprenticeship Service South Central’s Region Awards.
Berthon Boat Company Ltd is a family-run business and they employ 24 apprentices, having trained 31 in the last five years. Berthon specialises in yacht refits, large refit and maintenance contracts with the MOD and have also built a lifeboat for the RNLI. They employ apprentices in a range of marine apprenticeships including Shipwrights and Sprayers. Berthon has worked with seven local schools and colleges over the last ten years in order to promote apprenticeships, this hard work has seen applicants for the company's apprenticeships vacancies rise from less than 20 in 2000 to over 250 this year.
Keith Longman, Yard Manager, commented, “We are delighted to have been named Medium Apprentice Employer of the year in the South Central Region. We are passionate about apprenticeship training and look for every opportunity to champion the business benefits of employing apprentices. With our committee and ambassadorial work outside the business we are eager to showcase the success story that employing apprentices can bring.”
Berthon will proceed through to the final national judging stage; and the highest scoring Apprenticeship employer entries will have the additional honour of featuring in the acclaimed England’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list. The final will take place at the opening ceremony of the UK’s largest national skills and careers event, WorldSkills UK - The Skills Show, at the NEC in Birmingham on 14 November.
During the show the British Marine Federation together with Berthon will be representing the marine industry at several spotlight presentations at WorldSkills UK Skills highlighting awareness of the marine industry to perspective apprentices.
Brian May, Berthon Managing Director, commented, “The success of our apprenticeship programme can be measured in terms of the development of our apprentices into senior roles in the business. I feel we have a business and moral obligation to train the next generation of skilled tradesmen and to encourage and mentor other companies in our industry to follow our lead, providing the future skills our sector badly needs. Winning this award is a testament to the continued hard work we do as apprenticeship ambassadors and champions. ”
For more information about apprenticeships visit:
National Apprenticeship Service
British Marine Federation