Currently over 35 school-based apprentices from 24 schools from Tweed in Northern NSW to South Brisbane are taking part in the Riviera Apprenticeship Program.
The Riviera Group is a boat building company on the Gold Coast, operating the largest pleasure boat building facility in the Southern Hemisphere. In 1981 they built five cruisers, they now build over 400 boats a year -- and these are luxury cruisers, some costing in excess of a million dollars.
Owing to a skill shortage in the Marine Industry, Riviera decided to train their own staff to cope with increasing production demands.
The first four school based apprentices, all from Helensvale High School, completed their apprenticeship (one year school-based and three and a half years full-time) in 2002 and now over 100 apprentices that started as school-based apprentices have completed their apprenticeship.
The apprentices are year 11 and 12 students and are usually 16 to 17 years old. The students work a normal 7.6 hour day, one day a week and half their school holidays.
In January 2006 the intake of 45 School Based apprentices brought the apprentice numbers up to 187.
Riviera believe that over 80 per cent of graduating students are employed in the boating industry.
For more information visit www.riviera.com.au