Riviera expands its team through new training initiative
Australia’s largest builder of luxury motor yachts, Riviera, has expanded its recruitment program for 2021 through a new initiative with the Queensland Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT) that will employ 30 additional craftspeople for its boatbuilding team on the Gold Coast.
In a first for the marine industry, the collaboration uses the combined resources of DESBT and the Federal Government’s Department of Education, Skills and Employment to help trainees fast-track their careers in boatbuilding.
More than 200 potential marine craftspeople have expressed interest in participating in the Riviera-led program which is aimed at enhancing the company’s capabilities to train new professionals in the essential skills needed for building worldclass luxury motor yachts.
“This is an important step in ensuring that Riviera has access to the best possible talent to fill the opportunities we currently have available,” said Riviera’s Safety and Training Manager Adam Houlahan.
“Through this collaboration we have been able to secure a shortlist of quality people with varied work experience, some of them mature-aged, who can be trained in the skillsets that we require.”
Riviera plans to immediately employ 30 new trade assistants from the program with these new craftspeople participating in a newly created practical training course at TAFE Queensland, which is administered by DESBT.
“This program will allow trainees to develop the skills they need in a timely manner to take up various trade assistants’ roles at Riviera,” said Adam Chanter, the Maritime Senior Project Officer, a position co-funded by the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning.
“The trainees will undertake a non-accredited training program that focuses on developing practical skills to meet the needs of both Riviera and the industry.
“From a broader perspective, this collaboration is a model example of multiple government departments working together to achieve positive employment outcomes for all concerned.”
The latest recruitment initiative coincides with Riviera’s expansion program to meet the largest forward orders for luxury motor yachts in the company’s 41-year history.
“Our long-term commitment to training plays an integral role in our ability to create motor yachts that are admired globally for their innovative design, engineering and the most luxurious of interiors,” said Riviera owner Rodney Longhurst.
“We are proud of our ongoing collaboration with DESBT and, in conjunction with our on-site training initiatives, Riviera is not only enhancing the skills excellence of our team, we are also creating the master craftspeople of the future for our industry.”
Riviera is ready to commence the next stage of a $10 million expansion of the company’s Gold Coast boatbuilding facility. This follows the welcoming earlier this year of a record 41 new apprentices into Riviera’s award-winning training program to continue enhancing the skills of the company’s 800-strong team.
www.riviera.com.au
Published in print July-September 2021
