UKSA’s Superyacht Cadetship class of 2021 graduate

Maritime training and education charity, UKSA, says that 30 of its students, aged 18-25, have graduated from its flagship Superyacht Cadetship course.

With the support of UKSA, over 40 per cent of the course’s graduates have already secured employment, with the remaining students actively seeking new opportunities across the superyacht industry.

The four-year programme offers a career path to Officer of the Watch (Yacht <3000GT) and onward to Master (Yacht <3000GT) qualifications, and combines academic studies with periods of paid work on superyachts. Cadets can also complete an HNC in Operational Yacht Science through Falmouth Marine School.

UKSA’s charitable partners made the professional course possible for 37% of this year’s cohort, with sponsorship funding for the cadets coming from The Seafarers Charity and Trinity House, with others receiving support from the Steven Thomas Bursary, and the Michael (Milo) Hanlon Bursary.

UKSA’s CEO, Ben Willows, says: “Once again we are celebrating the achievements of our cadetship students as they go on to forge exciting and rewarding careers in the superyacht industry. The class of 2021 experienced unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic and demonstrated a huge amount of dedication, perseverance and resilience.”

The funding options that are available to UKSA students are crucial for many in securing their places on the course.

“For some students, the difference between starting their journey and not is the funding options we have available at UKSA. We are continually working to grow the number of funded students,” says Willows.