Boatbuilding, Vessel Refit and Repair Apprenticeship Level 3
Boatbuilding Vessel Refit and Repair apprentices build, refit or repair boats such as workboats, motorboats, yachts or superyachts. Boats may be made of composites, metals or wood so a boatbuilder apprentice works with and understands the capabilities of a wide range variety of materials including GRP.
Apprentices will learn how to read and interpret engineering and technical drawings to produce moulds, jigs, plugs and templates to create complex shapes using a variety of measuring equipment, machines and hand tools. They manufacture, assemble and repair components that form the structure of a boat as well as the interior and exterior fit out.
Apprentices will learn how to apply manufacturing techniques to boats such as yachts, workboats or superyachts as well as repair techniques to existing vessels. They will learn how to apply surface finishes such as varnishes, paints, and gel coats and select, use and store materials and consumables.
Upon successful completion of their apprenticeship, the apprentice will be multi-skilled and thus capable of adapting to changing demands as boats become more complex and new materials and methods are introduced. In their daily work an apprentice in this occupation interacts closely with associated trades such as marine engineers and marine electricians.
This is a Level 3 apprenticeship with a duration of 4 years. Apprentices attend the College for one day per week, with the remaining working week spent in the workplace, for a minimum of 30 hours. The College encourages prospective apprentices to reach out to employers for apprenticeship opportunities or vacancies, however the College can provide support in finding a suitable employer to undertake this apprenticeship.
Please note to complete an apprenticeship with us, you will be required to find an employer vacancy. If you do not have an employer, the below links are useful places to find an apprenticeship:
South Devon College is committed to supporting all interested students in finding an employer and offer careers guidance, CV writing skills and interview techniques to help support your search for an apprenticeship.
Course Details
- You will be required to have achieved Maths at Level 2
- You will be required to have achieved English at Level 2
- You should have a genuine interest in this subject
How to develop and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, customers, suppliers and technical support staff
The importance of maintaining health and safety at work, ensuring a safe working environment including control of substances
Identify defects, provide correct solutions for rectification and carry out repair work to different materials including GRP
How to select appropriate methods to produce, prepare, use, maintain and store plugs, moulds, jigs and templates
Conducting functional tests and visual and quality checks to the required standards
The use of composite manufacture for marine construction
The production of internal and external boat components
Apply surface finishing methods and techniques such as polishing
A Level 2 Boat Building apprenticeship lasts for two years. During this Apprenticeship programme your Apprentice will learn about boat production, boat maintenance and the repair of boats, all under the support and guidance of both yourself as the employer and the College. They will attend the College for one day per week, with the remaining working week spent in the workplace, for a minimum of 30 hours. The College can support you in finding a suitable Apprentice through our recruitment service.
Course Applications
Please choose your preferred study option below (subject to change).
This course costs: £
If the amount shown is more than £0.00 and you are aged 19 and over at the start of the course, you may have options to help fund your studies with us. The funding you can receive depends on your personal circumstances, and could mean you are entitled to fully subsidised or reduced tuition fees.
Many of our courses are fully funded for 16-18 year olds however not all courses are available for this age group.
You may also be entitled to support with travel, childcare and equipment.
To find out exactly what you could receive, contact our Helpzone team on 08000 380 123 for a free, impartial appointment, with no commitment necessary.
I chose South Devon College because of its brilliant reputation and chose this course because of the work experience opportunities it offered. It's great because we put the theory we learn into practise by working at large scale events such as music festivals, exhibitions and award ceremonies. My ambition is to work in this industry and I feel fully prepared for that having studied this course.Sam Palmer
