Internships

During placements, candidates gain experience in working in the marine industry, which informs and helps to guide them on their future career paths. For boat building students, the awards have been used to expand their practical skills and purchase tools.

Since 1993, the Trust has made 194 awards totalling £90,450 to students at the Universities of Plymouth, Southampton, Strathclyde and Newcastle and the International Boat Building Training College. The awards have ranged from £250 to £1,000 each.

The Trust would like to expand the number and size of the awards and is looking to expand its capital base accordingly. To facilitate this in 2021 we appointed four new Trustees who are drawn from different areas of the sector.

The UK marine industry has a continued demand for graduate skills and craftspeople who are skilled in boatbuilding and repair. The undergraduate student base is quite small and concentrated in a small number of universities. Enabling them to take up summer internships is a way of ensuring students remain in the industry once they have graduated.

There are a limited number of boatbuilding colleges who are training craftspeople skilled in wooden boat building and repair, but some students need assistance to purchase the necessary tools on completion of their training. There is strong demand for student support as provided by the Trust.

To substantially expand the number and value of the awards, it is our intention to bolster the assets and increase the amounts  available for awards. The plan is also to prioritise maritime digitalisation, automation and decarbonisation projects to support in the coming decades.