Schulungszentrum offers first training course for yacht crews
Hamburg: TÜV NORD Schulungszentrum is now training technical and service crew for international megayachts at its unique Yacht Crew[ds_preview] Academy. There is a high demand worldwide for well-trained yacht personnel, as crew members must be able to handle the latest on-board technology and also to serve discerning guests. The yacht crew course offers an excellent opportunity for current jobseekers, as it can be financed with a training credit voucher.
Although work on board is challenging, the workplace itself is both exciting and very different: graduates of the Yacht Crew Academy at the TÜV NORD Schulungszentrum are hired to work as deckhands, stewards or stewardesses in the Mediterranean and all over the world. Following several months of intensive training, course participants – who come from all regions of Germany – are qualified for their dream job. »Trained personnel are likely to find employment straight away«, explains Rainer Westerwelle, Managing Director of TÜV NORD Schulungszentrum. »Together with our cooperation partner, the employment bureau YMG, we are able to guide those who successfully complete the course into their job on a luxury yacht.«
Allrounders required
Ready to leave port in just an hour? This is where the deckhands come into their own. They make sure that the technical equipment is always in perfect running order, carry out small repairs over the whole yacht and use the dinghy to purchase supplies or take the owners and guests on and offshore.
What wine should be served with freshly-caught seabream? Trained stewardesses on board megayachts work at the same level as in a 5-star restaurant. At the same time they are responsible for looking after the rooms and caring for the children of guests if required.
Expert knowledge and safety training
Members of the Yacht Crew Academy receive intensive theoretical and practical training for four months in Hamburg and at the Baltic Sea. In the fifth month, practical training starts in the Mediterranean, moving on seamlessly to the first job. The Yacht Crew Academy course completes with the TÜV Deckhand Certificate or TÜV Stewardess Certificate, the internationally-recognised Basic Safety Training Certificate, the lifesaving certificate and the licence for motorized pleasure craft.
The first course has been running since the end of April 2010 – participants have already acquired basic seafaring knowledge and are in the middle of their specialist training. The deckhands learn the finer technical points on site at the TÜV NORD Schulungszentrum, while the stewardesses receive their training in fine food and service from the celebrated sommelière Ina Finn from Villa Verde. In September they will be going to work in the sun – where they will help yacht owners and charter guests to have the perfect holiday.
Applications are now being accepted for the next course
The next course starts in October 2010 and prospective students are invited to apply now. In addition to the obvious willingness to move around the world, applicants need a police clearance check, and they must be suitable for the work from the mental and physical points of view. They also need knowledge of English and have to pass an aptitude test. Experience of working in the hotel industry or with mechatronics would also be an advantage.
The Yacht Crew Academy offers a particularly good opportunity for jobseekers, as payment for the course can be taken over by various public bodies such as the Federal Labour Agency (Agentur für Arbeit), the ARGE working group or the employment support service of the German Armed Forces.
Participants are welcome from the whole of Germany – the TÜV NORD Schulungszentrum provides help in finding low-cost accommodation in Hamburg. For more information, please telephone +49 (0) 40-780814-0. www.maritime-academy.de.
