Who Benefits From Training in the Mega Yacht Industry

What follows is an attempt to get the luxury yachtInvestors in People, in fact, promote some strategies
charter industry to face some severe shortcomingsto improve the organisation which are conspicuously
in what is being taught and what is being learned bylacking from the current MCA training programme in
the people in it. The time has come when we mustareas such as leadership and personnel management,
bring ourselves, whether kicking and screaming orappraisal and assessment skills The Investors in
through mutual co-operation, onto the next level ofPeople benchmark offers a framework for improving
professional development for the benefit of all usbusiness performance and competitiveness through
privileged to be working in the industry. Obviously,good practice in human resource development.
some will dismiss all this as a waste of time andCompanies and organisations who wish to gain the
another excuse for training providers to screw a few'investors in people' kite mark must show that they
more Euros out of yacht crew: if you instinctivelyhave procedures to monitor performance and
agree with this last statement then this article isdevelop training strategies to improve it. It runs along
addressed to YOU more than anyone else!similar lines to other quality assurance systems and
Whatever your views many observers both insideyachts who are already certified for ISM might not
and outside the industry feel that ongoing training isfind it too difficult to add type to system on to it. I
essential. A large Italian yacht builder, for example,believe this type of training could improve the
has recently set up its own crew school and regularlywellbeing of everyone connected with the industry.
hosts training seminars for its fleet. So if it is alreadyI have emphasised the importance of continuation
happening what's the problem?yacht charter training in areas concerned with safety
The impression that I get from the luxury yachtbut we are not just talking about safety here, we
charter crew that I teach seems to reflect bothare talking about PERFORMANCE across every
sides of the argument. Like any good instructor Iaspect of a yacht's activities. In businesses
teach in as interactive a style as I can. This meanscompanies devote resources to training because in
that crew often say things to me that they mightthe long run it makes them more profitable and
not say to their captain or owner (or to my bossesefficient. Yachts should not just passively assume
in Blue Water!). Here are a few quotes...that they provide the best possible level of service
'Owners should be doing this course!'to owners and charterers they should actively make
'Captains have no concept of man management!'sure they do by continuation training. Here are some
'Crew are lazy and are only looking for the easy waysubject area for training that would improve the
out!'performance of every yacht
'Management companies have very little training inChange management
management skills!'Time management
'Training establishments are only interested in takingTeam leadership & management skills
your money!'Inter personnel skills
Of course as many will be quick to point out, theInterviewing skills
charter yacht industry has already changed a hugeAppraisal systems
amount. In the early 1990s it was recognised that aSafety Management
professional system of qualifications was required forProject management
the industry. Yachts were beginning to be built in suchNegotiation skills
numbers and to such a size that t was becomingFinancial and accounting skills
generally acknowledged that if the industry didn'tTrain the trainer
take the initiative for training then the governmentIf the industry wants to move on and be seen to
would step in and impose its own standards, notmove to a higher professional level I feel certain
necessarily adapted to the yachting environment. Thethings need to change, Out must go the attitude ' It
Professional Yachtsmen's Association was formedwas good enough for me so its good enough for
specifically to do this. The result was the old masteryou' and in must come 'how can we improve'.
class 4 and 5, now replaced in line with STCW95 andAttitudes like 'its not broken so don't fix it' are
with a parallel structure for engineers. At first peopleultimately doomed to consign any organisation to
howled about it but now no one seriously challengesmediocrity. If you always do today what you did
the need for these qualifications. But what hasyesterday you will always obtain the same results.
happened since then?How about a course in change management? It is a
Many people, having got their tickets, seemed toskill which can be learn: with just small adjustment in
think that they had 'made it' and were only botheredhow we approach a new concept change can be a
to keep their skills updated if required by the MCA, Ipositive, informative and helpful process.
estimate that only 3% of certificate holdersMany people in the industry (ashore and afloat)
voluntarily return, for non required training orbelieve they deliver the premier maritime leisure
refresher courses, to keep their skill levels up to date.experience available. They could well be right BUT,
So, back to the original question, who is benefitinghow can they be sure? Levels of service in yachting
from yacht charter training; the Owner or ships(at its best) are second to none, but the level of
officer who does not have to attend or pay forknowledge required to manage crew (i.e. people),
extra training, or, is it crew and guests who entrustneeds to be dramatically improved.
their lives in the yacht management team's levels ofThere are still many people in the industry who
competence? Surely professional skills like passagebelieve the concept of ongoing personal and
planning, radar operation, navigation should beprofessional training is just a distraction. Sometimes
maintained to a high level. We often hear of highthey are the first to ask for help; not by asking their
profile yachts involved in collisions and groundings, butown management companies for the information
they are just the high profile ones; many morethey require for fear of being seen as less than
incidents occur which do not receive the same levelcompetent, but by asking friends or companies in the
of attention (but I hear about them on my coursesindustry!!
from the crew who witnessed them). In my viewIn conclusion, the above may sound like a training
increased ongoing professional training would go aprovider looking for work, but I'm sure all who read
long way toward improving this.the article will be able to identify areas where they
In many industries and professions across many partswish they knew more. Being honest about this and
of the world ongoing professional and personnelthen taking it further and seizing ownership of an
training is an accepted and welcome fact of life. Inindustry wide ongoing training programme is what I
the UK a quality organisation called 'Investors inreally would like to promote. Only by working
People' has been set up to promote this very thing.together will we manage the industries' prolific growth
In France the government 'Formation Continue'and maintain a large pool of highly motivated and
scheme is specifically designed to encourage personaltrained staff. There are many people out there
and professional training amongst salaried employees.wanting to embrace change I believe it's a great
This type of training ensures that the business orindustry but like all great things there is always room
organisation continues to improve because the stafffor improvement. Lets do it!
avoid professional stagnation.