44 | MARINE Super Yacht Coatings T T Kim Newth Opening gateways to marine careers One of Super Yacht Coatings’ most recent projects involved repainting the hull of a 40-metre craft, Lanakai, one of the largest all-carbon sportfisher superyachts in the world. gregm@soboats.co.nz | 021 279 4428 | www.soboats.co.nz . . | | . . . At Super Yacht Coatings’ purpose-built facility in Tauranga, young people are getting the specialist training needed to build successful careers in the thriving marine sector. Over recent years, a number of school leavers have joined the Super Yacht Coatings’ team as apprentices with some now leading teams of their own. “We are proud of our apprenticeship programme and how successfully it is working for us and for the young people we have trained,” says Ben Steele, General Manager Super Yacht Coatings. As the third largest harbourside city in New Zealand, Tauranga attracts a wide range of international and New Zealand owned vessels. The city has a large marine precinct at Sulphur Point with modern facilities. With operational headquarters at Sulphur Point, alongside Vessel Works, Super Yacht Coatings is the go-to specialist for yacht painting work. The local team of 25 is committed to delivering the highest possible standard of finish for vessels from luxury super yachts to pleasure craft, trailer boats and commercial marine. Super Yacht Coatings’ Tauranga is complemented by their 15-strong Auckland operation. For young people getting their industry start with the company at Sulphur Point, it is an exciting and stimulating work environment. Zak Clarke and Shaun Connolly, both from the Bay of Plenty, have recently completed their marine coatings’ apprenticeships. Ben says they started “completely fresh” and now, having finished their apprenticeships with flying colours, are training others and forging ahead confidently. “You need to have a good work ethic to succeed but we find that those who enjoy this industry get a lot out of it and it opens up opportunities to work for us out of Auckland too. Ultimately, you can go anywhere with these skills. “One of our senior guys, who left us last year to do his OE, has been working in Portugal for the last six months and is now working around France and the Mediterranean.” The marine coatings’ apprenticeships programme, run under the auspices of the Marine and Specialised Technologies Academy of New Zealand (MAST Academy), has a strong focus on workplace-based training. Apprentices are trained over 32-months to work unsupervised in specialised yacht painting roles, with today’s apprentices well-trained in using PPE as required to protect their health and safety on the job. Super Yacht Coatings has developed a good connection with Mount Maunganui College, with several past apprentices having come from there. In 2019, Priority One - the Western Bay of Plenty region’s economic development organisation – held a vocational event involving local schools and employers that also worked well for Super Yacht Coatings. “It was run like a speed meet where we got to tell the senior students what we do and the students then told us what they were interested in. It was a really good event – around half a dozen potential employees came from that.” Ben says for some Year 13 students who do not want to carry on to university, the option of being able to leave early to take up an apprenticeship can be a very beneficial choice. “What we like is that when they start here, they’re not coming in with any preconceived ideas. “We enjoy being able to show them the ropes, teach them the skills our way and then see them progress into more senior roles.” With such a spread of vessels coming through Tauranga for fit out work, Super Yacht Coatings is never quiet for long. One of their most recent projects involved repainting the hull of a 40-metre craft called Lanakai, one of the largest all-carbon sportfisher superyachts in the world. With more space for future growth at Tauranga’s marine precinct, Ben says the employment outlook is good with the local marine sector on a positive trajectory. “You need to have a good work ethic to succeed but we find that those who enjoy this industry get a lot out of it and it opens up opportunities to work for us out of Auckland too. Ultimately, you can go anywhere with these skills.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=