The Boating Industry Association Ltd (BIA) has announced a partnership with the Australian Institute of Engineering (AIE) aimed at enhancing support for boating industry businesses in regional areas, improving access to apprentice training.
“In our collaborative efforts to date with AIE, we’ve seen success in supporting training of apprentices in South Australia, addressing a historical scarcity of opportunities,” said BIA CEO Andrew Scott. “By establishing a formal partnership with AIE, our goal is to extend this success to other member States as part of our commitment to promote education, skills and jobs.”
AIE employs a well-proven hybrid approach, incorporating online and in-person training and assessment. The tailor-made program is ideal for regional settings where traditional apprentice training might face hurdles due lack of local training providers or distances to travel to training centres.
“AIE is excited to be working with the BIA and to support its members with flexible training options in their workplaces”, said AIE Executive Director of Education, Brett Ambrosio. “AIE has a strong focus on increasing the numbers of School Based Apprentices and offering customised training solutions to businesses across Australia to try and help with the current skills shortage.”
This collaboration forms a crucial part of BIA’s broad approach to addressing the issue of ongoing workforce development in the boating industry where there is high demand for trades such as marine craft construction and marine mechanical technology.
AIE is currently delivering Certificate III in Marine Craft Construction to nine employers and 10 shipwright apprentices in South Australia, providing essential support to BIA member boat manufacturers, such as Mannum Slipway, Matrix Marine and Northbank Marine.
The partnership with AIE is founded on BIA’s commitment to education, skills, and jobs to support workforce development and address critical skills shortages, ensuring a robust future for the boating industry.
