A new specialised training academy has been established at the centre of the booming superyacht industry on the Gold Coast to support record growth and demand for workers as local and international buyers continue to splash out on luxury marine craft.
With a number of new boats of all sizes being delivered to buyers in Australia, arriving for refits, or just visiting the Gold Coast, the training academy will be the first in Australia to be established at a shipyard. The academy at the Gold Coast City Marina and Shipyard (GCCM) will begin turning out an in-demand pipeline of skilled marine trades workers to fill labour shortages across the $80-billion industry, from marine labourers, to trade assistants, trimmers, fabricators, painters, electricians, carpenters, shipwrights and plumbers.
GCCM CEO Trenton Gay says the marine sector had grown at an unprecedented rate, offering a massive spread of sophisticated and innovative job opportunities.
“The marine industry is fast-paced, multi-layered and ever-evolving so for those seeking out new career paths, the academy is an ideal way to get the right advice and appropriate training,” Gay says.
“Australia is being recognised internationally now for the quality of marine trades we offer, so it is important that we enhance the flow of job opportunities and talent within the industry.”
Close to 40 superyachts have been brought into Australia in the past year, compared to around ten superyachts in a “normal” year, with the Gold Coast and Queensland a key gateway to the influx.
The GCCM is part of the 250-hectare Gold Coast Marine Precinct, the largest refit and repair yard in the southern hemisphere. More than 90 businesses operate from the precinct, covering all aspects of marine refit, maintenance, and construction for vessels.