ONBOARD Magazine summer 2019

RECRUIT
New generation,
New jobs
Laurence Lewis looks
at the new skill sets
needed by the next
generation of crew that
could give them the
edge over their peers
when looking for that
next position
Generation Z, people born during
the mid-nineties, is entering the
workplace in the yachting industry.
With their high-tech and hyper-connected
upbringing, they bring a new set of behaviours
and expectations in their place of work.
That’s just as well, as their work place is
changing too and over the last few years
recruiters have seen exciting new jobs
arising in the industry.
`
The crew entering the market are now
expected to come equipped with a large
spectrum of skill sets to meet the needs
of the 2.0 yacht owners and captains. The
good thing is that Generation Z can multi
task, even more so than Millennials. With
constant interaction with apps, texts,
videos they are used to paying attention
and monitoring a variety of media and this
will definitely set them apart from older
colleagues.
`
One such new job is drone pilot. We started
getting these requests the last couple of
years but nothing like this season when we
have seen the demand for Drone Pilots rise
by 30 %. The pool of available candidates
is still not very large but is increasing
steadily. Of course, as always in yachting,
it is about multi-tasking, so the drone
pilot will always have another job aboard
such as deckhand, bosun, 3rd/ 2nd`officer. `
`
What a great opportunity for a tech
savvy person to start a career! Drones
have become interesting on a couple of
levels for yachts. We have all seen those
beautiful videos of yachts cruising in
the sunset, of people jet skiing in idyllic
settings, kite surfing in the best spots.
Drones capture the experience of yachting
and allow guests to go home with great
footage of their friends and family at play
in the most desirable locations around
the world. This is the ultimate holiday
souvenir; it does not get better. Of course,
drone pilots also provide great content
for marketing videos for charter yachts
whose Instagram accounts flourish as
they compete for followers. Drones can
also help in terms of inspection of hard to
reach or normally in-accessible areas on
the yacht, it’s a new pair of eyes, handy
to have for the deck crew before starting
a job. Becoming a certified drone pilot is
definitely an interesting path to follow,
which sets candidates apart in a market
where owners and captains are looking
for more and more extra skills. `
A new generation of yacht owners whose
centre of interests lie in extreme sports
calls for a new breed of deckhands, so
here comes the deckhand/ kite surfer
instructor! For the 2019 Med season we
have received a plethora of requests such
as “looking for a fun, sporty kite surfer
deckhand”. Whilst they spend some time
teaching guests how to kitesurf their main
duties will still be regular deckhand tasks
such as washdowns, setting up the deck,
line handling`and tender driving. Many of
these jobs are of course on expedition
vessels that spend much of their time
around the Pacific but not all. For those
looking to enter this buoyant job market,
the International Kiteboarding Organization
are a good place to start and for now, the
demand for such candidates outweighs
the supply.
`
Another highly popular request this year
has been for Spa and Beauty, Massage and
Sport Therapists and we doubled the number
of placements in this segment between
the 2018 Mediterranean season and the
2019 season, perhaps not surprising as
the size of yachts keeps on increasing. For
many guests, for instance, a massage has
become part of their enjoyment onboard
the yacht to help them unwind from their
busy life ashore. Popular treatments for
guests and crew include deep-tissue
massages, and treatments designed to
be anti-stress and anti-fatigue. Therapists
cater for a variety of requests and need
to specifically be aware of how to address
over exposure to the sun and sea.
`
Wellness and well-being are the defining
concepts of our time and these new jobs on
yachts address these needs. For recruiters
this is also a stimulating time as we look
forward to welcoming and accompanying
newcomers into the yachting industry.
ONBOARD | SUMMER 2019 | 149