Green Marine apprentices win top award

SOUTHAMPTON, U.K. - Sept. 16, 2015 - PRLog -- Carbon composite racing and cruising yacht builder Green Marine is pleased to announce that it has won the Apprentice Game Changer Award from the British Marine as part of the Apprenticeship Graduation Awards as this year’s Southampton Boat Show.

This prestigious award, which is in its inaugural year, has been developed by British Marine to recognise companies who have made a significant contribution to the marine industry through their work with apprentices over the past 12 months. The British Marine Training Committee has selected Green Marine for its outstanding work on the Volvo Ocean Race VO65 yachts. The award also highlights the valuable part that apprentices have played in high profile projects and gives prominence to their importance in the marine sector as a whole.

Howard Pridding, Chief Executive of British Marine said: “British Marine is delighted to be able to present the Apprenticeship Game Changer Award to Green Marine for being the Volvo Ocean Race 2014/15 consortium leader, and enabling the build of the remarkable VO65 yachts with the help of its apprentices. This is testament to the fact that the UK is a world leader in boatbuilding with a highly skilled workforce thanks to apprenticeships. The marine industry is a fantastic sector for any young person to aspire to join with so much craftsmanship, innovation and design, an apprentice has so many opportunities within our industry.”

Green Marine’s apprentices work with cutting edge technology and materials on some of the most high profile yachts in the world. Recently, its apprentices have worked on building all 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race VO65 yachts for the 2014-2015 race. Green Marine has a long and illustrious history in the Volvo Ocean Race (formerly the Whitbread Round the World), the relationship which began in 1989 has seen Green Marine build 15 competing yachts to date, including British Defender, Intrum Justitia, Assa Abloy and Pirates of the Caribbean, to name but a few.

Currently, Green Marine apprentices are supporting Land Rover BAR – they have already been involved with Southampton City College’s project to build two specialised docking RIBs, used to berth the team’s testing and race boat, and are continuing to work with Land Rover BAR through Green Marine’s composite manufacturing facility at the shipyard in Hythe.

Richard Acland, CEO of Green Marine said: “We are delighted to have won such a prestigious award from British Marine. Apprenticeships are vital in enabling us to produce the best and most skilled workforce in the boat building industry.

“Over 20% of our current team are former apprentices, these young people are the lifeblood and future of our industry, and we are very proud of the contribution our apprentices make to our business and the Green Marine family as a whole.”

For more information on Green Marine and its apprenticeship scheme, please visit www.greenmarine.co.uk . To find out more about British Marine, visit www.britishmarine.co.uk.