The next time someone tries to tell you that the yachting universe is frivolous, tell them this: Feadship’s Royal Van Lent shipyard was awarded Best Educational Company 2007 by the Dutch Association of Centres of Expertise on Vocational Education, Training and the Labour Market.
That’s quite a mouthful; so what does it mean? It means that the yard presents excellent opportunities for young professionals to learn a craft and even serve as interns (see picture here). Considering I’ve heard several leaders in the megayacht business wonder where they’re going to get the next generation of craftsmen from, it’s an encouraging development. As some of you may know from personal experience, it’s particularly difficult to find youth who are interested in learning hands-on trades like welding and woodworking; multiply this by the ever-increasing number and sizes of megayachts under construction worldwide, and it truly is a problem.
So how did Royal Van Lent come to receive the award? The country’s Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs and Science, which created the award 12 years ago, assigns a jury to review various companies. The jury described Royal Van Lent as having admirable ties to nautical schools and academies and noted that all employees, regardless of experience, were encouraged to educate themselves further. The judges also commented that all staffers reflected a passion for their craft and showed loyalty toward the yard.
Education, passion, and loyalty. You can’t put a price on those qualities.
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