Boat-builders travel far

Boat-builders travel far.

And they don't even have to leave the shore. Apprentice Chris Pye tells Johanna Bennett how his boat-building apprenticeship has meant money
while working in the fine wood he loves - and no student loan.

Chris started his four-year
apprenticeship at West Auckland's superyacht
builder Alloy Yachts straight from
Massey High School. He'd never actually been
on a boat, but his parents knew the company
was a good one, and Chris loved working with
his hands - especially with wood.
"Originally, I thought I was just going to
finish school and go into house-building," he
said. But training to be a top-end cabinetmaker
at Alloy Yachts has proved a sweet
deal, as well as providing a challenge.
It's also fun. Twenty-year-old Chris has
taken to boats like, well, a duck to water. He
now takes part in the summer Wednesday
evening races on Auckland harbour. Lots of
the guys here have boats, says Chris. These
are small racing yachts and, despite having
never previously sailed, Chris is now a keen
hand on deck.
But it's the top-notch cabinet-making
that Alloy Yachts is known for that is his real
passion. The aluminium yachts take two
years to make and are made to the highest
specifications as their buyers are the rich
and sometimes famous. Chris is presently
learning the art of tight cabinet fitting, which
is necessary for pilot and wheel houses, but
he has also worked in the wood workshop.
He thinks the job would appeal to anyone who likes working with their hands. "Seeing
an end result that is up there with the best in
the world is really rewarding," he says.
Earn while you learn
There's also the bonus of earning while you're
learning. "A lot of people feel they have to go
to university, but an apprenticeship can be
better and there's no student loan."
Chris finishes up his own apprenticeship
shortly and says he'll be looking at earning
$23-plus an hour. He could also work overseas
as his qualifications are recognised abroad.
"There's plenty of work, as other
countries are facing the same labour
shortage as New Zealand," he explains.
And, after his Big OE in a couple of years, he would be welcome back at Alloy Yachts.
Graeme Eddy, who is charge of the apprentice
scheme, says former apprentices often come
back to work for the company, which is cool
about people taking off. They learn new things
and boredom doesn't set in, says Graeme.
The 22-year-old company has 70
apprentices, and takes on 20 new ones
every year in four different areas: marine
cabinet making; marine systems engineering;
electro-engineering, and boat building itself,
which involves fabricating the big aluminium
structures that make the basic boat.
"All really good, solid skills that can
transfer elsewhere, says Graeme. The yachtbuilding
industry itself is also growing strongly.
The work is mainly on the job and in the
workshops, but is supplemented with some
block day courses and some night classes.

Interested?
Check out: www.alloyyachts.co.nz.
Or, for apprenticeships in similar
trades, go to: www.skills4work.org.
nz. Apprenticeships available through
skills4work include working on naval
vessels outside Auckland, for example, in New Plymouth.