Enrolment in superyacht hospitality training up by 108%

The United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA) has reported a 108 per cent increase in the number of students choosing its Superyacht Hospitality training course in 2021 compared to 2019, with the average age of students reducing by nine years since 2015.

The Isle of Wight-based charity, which provides life-enhancing water-based adventures, education, and maritime training, launched the hospitality course 15 years ago. It was specially designed by industry experts to meet the growing demand for well-trained professional crew onboard some of the world’s most luxurious yachts, and sees an average of 80 per cent of students secure a role within three months of completing their training.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, UKSA has reported a steady increase in the number of students taking part in the course up to and including 2020, with 2022 places already 50 per cent full.

The training provider has also seen a dramatic decrease in the average age of students for the course: from 31 in 2015 to 22 in 2021, demonstrating that young people are deciding much earlier what career path they would like to follow and acting on it at a younger age.

Chris Frisby, director of training and operations at UKSA, says: “The vast increase in those taking up our Superyacht Hospitality course is truly a reflection of young people opting for a more outdoor work-life since the pandemic started. We’re seeing students younger and more determined than ever to take control of their careers, choose alternatives to university and ultimately work towards a goal of seeing the world and this is a great opportunity to realise that dream.

“Students study essential skills for onboard employment including learning the departments of a yacht, the chain of command, standards of personal presentation, etiquette and behaviours, health and safety, and life at sea. With an emphasis on going above and beyond industry expectations, the UKSA students are set apart from their international counterparts.”

The course also sees students work with Ben and Holly Cooke and Kaya Simpson from the award-winning Little Gloster, where students learn table management, cocktail making, housekeeping and laundry, floristry, and wine appreciation.

Cooke says: “We’ve been a part of the hospitality course at UKSA since September last year and the collaboration has been a great opportunity for us to share our knowledge of the luxury hospitality sector to students and show them how going the extra mile will make them stand out from the crowd in the competitive superyacht sector. The students we’ve worked with are passionate about a career on the water and enthusiastic to learn how to be the best, which is essential when working with high-end clientele, used to 7-star service.”