From college to career – the course that is changing lives

A dynamic partnership between City College Plymouth and Princess Yachts has helped the world-renowned yacht builder recruit five outfitters as a direct result of a new, intensive course delivered at the College. 

In April 2022, the College delivered a brand-new, ten-week course to support Princess Yachts with growing and diversifying its workforce after seeing huge levels of growth both in the UK and further afield. As the city’s anchor provider of skills, this course is part of the College’s commitment to addressing Plymouth’s skills gap. 

First to enrol were career-changers Jess Langston and Sam Lever, both 23 at the time, who acquired a plethora of skills such as fitting bulkheads and matrices, scribing, and the safe and correct use of an array of carpentry and joinery tools. 

After completing the course, Jess and Sam were both offered the opportunity to complete a short skills assessment at Princess Yachts and were subsequently offered jobs with the company. Now, both Sam and Jess are full-time employees, enjoying a good wage, a four-day working week and – most importantly to them both – career progression opportunities. 

At the time, Jess said:

“I was in a job that I felt wasn’t going anywhere when I found this course online. Knowing how valuable carpentry skills are, I saw this as a really good opportunity to start a new career with great prospects. 

“I’m over the moon to be offered a job with Princess Yachts. The ten weeks went really quickly and I’m excited to be at the start of a new career that offers long-term progression. I’m also really looking forward to a better work-life balance as a result of the four-day week that Princess Yachts offers. I’m really pleased I took up this opportunity and would recommend it to others.”

Since then, another three recruits have joined Princess Yachts having successfully completed the Boat Outfitting Skills course, which is delivered at the College’s Picquet venue. In addition to the opportunity to join one of Plymouth’s largest employers, those who complete the course will gain a level 1 City & Guilds diploma.

Lance Chatfield, Executive for Technical Innovation at the College, said:

“This short-but-intensive course has the potential to have a lasting impact on both the maritime industry and the wider Plymouth community, providing opportunities for people to upskill or retrain into an industry with long-lasting careers.

“In just ten weeks, those who sign up to this course could be joining one of Plymouth’s most high-profile businesses with a strong set of skills. For some, this could be life-changing, and we’re really excited to be working with Princess Yachts for the benefit of our local community and economy.”