Two decades ago, the very first of the superyacht-specific qualifications was introduced in the form of the Class 5 and Class 4 engineer and captain tickets. The new certificates were designed to meet the growing size and complexity of superyachts in a growing fleet, combined with a growing professionalism as superyachting emerged from the shadows and started to become a serious career option.

Things have changed significantly in that time. The worldwide superyacht fleet has expanded to over 5,000 vessels, and with that has come an extraordinary burgeoning of crew. The certifications too have changed and morphed, and with that has come an increasing demand for provision both of classrooms and established training schools alongside a dynamic crew agency and recruitment industry.

In July 2018, the Superyacht Group will publish The Superyacht Annual Report 2018: Training & Recruitment in which we will dissect and analyse current crew training provision, the process and efficacy of career progression within superyachting, and the quality and effectiveness of the recruitment process.

An important part of this is qualitative research and opinion from active superyacht crews - the end users of these services, and the best-placed people in the industry to highlight the current state of this critical element of superyachting.

We have developed a short survey, which should take no more than six minutes to complete, and we are inviting all crew to take part. Responses are anonymous, and your feedback and input will be crucial in informing not only the state of play in training and recruitment as it stands today, but also in helping to shape the training and recruitment market of the future. This is vital to ensure that crew needs are met and that crew's opinions are listened to as our superyacht fleet continues to grow and evolve.

Our survey is open to all members of crew. To take part, click here.

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