Maritime youth charity helps young people find their dream job with a new apprenticeship offering for National Apprenticeship Week

A Hampshire teenager is encouraging others to consider a career in maritime this National Apprenticeship Week (5-11 February), after landing his dream job.

Harvie Evershed, 18, from Southampton, had completed a marine engineering qualification at a local college while looking for his next opportunity, with dreams of being a skipper on a small workboat around the UK coast in the future. 

Having completed two weeks of work experience with Williams Shipping as part of his marine engineering course, the team had promised to be in touch if an opportunity arose. 

Shortly after, Harvie received a call to see if he was interested in the Workboat Crewmember Apprenticeship with UKSA and Williams Shipping, an opportunity he didn’t want to miss.

UKSA is a maritime youth charity based on the Isle of Wight, which offers children and young people opportunities to broaden their horizons through inspirational water-based adventures, education and training for careers at sea. 

When asked about the highlights from his apprenticeship with UKSA, Harvie said: “The UKSA team is amazing and this stands out above anything else, but the workshop facilities for engineering training aspects are also fantastic.

“ I enjoy the diversity of the tasks making no two days the same and for anyone considering an apprenticeship, just do it. The amount you can learn whilst in the workplace, getting paid at the same time and the higher potential of a job at the end of it is just brilliant.”

UKSA has announced its new apprenticeship offering ahead of National Apprenticeship Week which runs from 5-11 February 2024.

The all-new industry-designed apprenticeships will be delivered in partnership with the Marine Society and Sea Cadets (MSSC) and will include Level 2 Port Operative, Level 2 Able Seafarer (Deck) and Level 3 Small Commercial Vessel Crewmember.

UKSA already works alongside businesses including Seacat Services, Veolia, Red Funnel, Cowes Harbour Commission and Williams Shipping in addition to MSSC, with such great opportunities contributing to a 100 per cent pass rate on UKSA’s 2023 apprenticeship training programme.

Apprenticeship duration is typically 12-24 months with different qualifying criteria depending on which apprenticeship is chosen but typical future career options include port, container, warehouse, ferry or cargo operatives as part of the L2 Port Operative programme.      

The L2 Able Seafarer facilitates a pathway towards the Merchant Navy and Royal Navy as a seafarer, deck rating or deckhand and the L3 Small Commercial Vessel Crewmember could see graduates as workboat crew members, rating or seafarers on a variety of vessels.

Shaun Mansbridge, compliance and marine apprentice manager at Williams Shipping, said: “Over the past few years, UKSA has provided maritime training for our Workboat Crewmember apprentices and I cannot fault the job the team does. It is diligent, professional, and accommodating and operates one of the most amazing maritime training facilities I have ever visited and it’s great to hear from our apprentices how much they enjoy their training sessions there. We are now recruiting our 2024/25 cohort of apprentices and they will all be going to UKSA.”