The Boat Builder Awards are the global marine industry’s leading awards and are organised by METStrade, the world’s largest business to business marine equipment show. 

John Dorgan, Tertiary Education Commission’s (TEC) investment manager for NZMAC ITO congratulated the ITO for its recognition on the world stage, noting their strength in forming very close relationships with the marine and composite sectors.

“Employers and sector specialists have been major contributors to the development of the programme to ensure the sector needs have been met. Many of them have been apprentices themselves and so have a clear insight into what makes a successful apprenticeship programme,” said John.

He says the programmes have been developed to meet the needs of the New Zealand marine industry and that as a country we’re “technologically advanced and world leading in many aspects of marine and composite construction” and therefore New Zealand programmes are highly relevant to the worldwide industry.

Peter Busfield, NZ Marine executive director was on hand in Amsterdam to collect the award, saying “This win is a huge positive for us with large international companies now enquiring of the option to be licensed to use some of our apprenticeship training programmes.

“This award acts as recognition to the many New Zealand employers who contributed to the writing of the apprenticeship programme, and to the more than 200 employers who have 450 apprentices in the NZMAC ITO programme between them,” he adds.

The NZMAC ITO is part of the NZ Marine Industry Association and aids apprentices in learning practical, transferable skills. It’s proven so successful that it’s been licensed by other providers around the world. So far, there have been over 2,000 graduates of the programme ─ many are now running boatbuilding or marine service companies around the world.

Chris van der Hor, NZMAC ITO’s general manager said, “this prestigious award supports our vision in creating a world-class apprenticeship model through design and delivery, from a passionate and dedicated group of people.

“We’re always looking to see how we can make the experience and outcomes better for our apprentices and employers, so we are already embarking on future developments in 2019.

“The real satisfaction lies in supporting our businesses to grow and watching our apprentices gain the skills and knowledge to lead successful lives,” he adds.

NZMAC ITO was set up to develop professional qualifications and set standards for the marine and composites industries. To accomplish that, it works with apprentices, employers and training providers to ensure high quality training. Other nominees for the award included high profile companies and training organisations from a wide spread of countries.

NZMAC ITO showcasing their award