Since the Foundation was inaugurated in 2015 we have made over £440,000 worth of grants and helped over 160 young Islanders with more coming on line. Here are some examples of those whom we have helped:

Josh

Marine Engineer
Josh was 16 when he joined Wight Shipyard as a marine engineering apprentice, and the Foundation helped him get started with some tools and equipment. He completed his apprenticeship successfully and moved on to engineering quality control. Six years on he's a busy man. As Refit Manager he's responsible for project managing work on all external projects that are not new build, and he's a key part of the management team. Wight Shipyard has grown from 40 to 130 employees and 22 apprentices during that time, creating lots of opportunity. "I love my job - it's brilliant. It's been great to be a part of Wight Shipyard's growing success."

Lloyd

America’s Cup Challenge
Lloyd was one of our first beneficiaries back in 2015. He had been working as kitchen staff here and also a ski season in the Alps when he got the amazing opportunity to do an electronics apprenticeship with what was then Landrover BAR, home of our UK America’s Cup Challenge, shadowing their lead electronics engineer. It meant travelling to the mainland and back every day which was impossible on an apprentice wage. With a bit of help from us, Hovertravel and Red Funnel he got started, and it worked out well. With a lot of water under the bridge he is now with INEOS Britannia in Barcelona with Ben Ainslie on his third America’s Cup Challenge, as Senior Electrical Technician building all the onboard sailor HMI (Human Machine Interface) which consists of custom switches, joysticks and encoders that control the race yacht, all embedded in the steering wheels and controllers. As well as this. His main role is supporting the whole electrical system on the water during sailing and ultimately race days. He loves his job and is hoping he will be part of the winning team in October 2024.

Amy

Sail Training/Clipper Round the World Race
Amy was working at a children’s play area on a zero hours contract when she came to us, but she did already have a few qualifications from UKSA. She really wanted to do a Yachtmasters Offshore so she could work in the industry, but had no prospect of funding this herself. We were able to help her and she quickly moved into a career as a Mate – first on 72 ft ketch Faramir with the Cirdan Sailing Trust, and then off to Greece flotilla sailing. Now she’s back in the UK sail training with the Tall Ships Youth Trust, a Cruising Instructor qualification under her belt and a dream to skipper a yacht through the next Clipper Round the World race. With Tall Ships she’s got herself a job skippering a voyage from Portugal to Tenerife to build miles towards a Yachtmasters Ocean. A couple more qualifications with our help and she will be off round the world! Then it’s back to her first love, sail training and professional teaching. “Giving people the chance to transform their lives through sailing is incredibly rewarding. But I love big boats and racing too – and the Clipper is a challenge I can’t wait to take on!”

Christian

Wightlink Pilot
Christian had already entered the merchant navy after his initial training at Warsash when he came to us. He was working as a Chief Officer but could only get short fixed term contracts without further certification, which his employer would not pay for because he was not a permament member of staff – a ‘Catch 22’. He needed to go back to Warsash to do the next level qualification, but not only was there the cost of training to cover - he had to factor in the loss of earnings to support his young family. This was out of reach for him without our support. Since then, with COVID and a third child along the way, Christian has made good progress. After two years as Chief First Officer and relief Captain with Wightlink he is now a fully-fledged Captain on the Fast Cat – so next time you go to the mainland Christian may well be driving you! His long term ambition is to become a marine pilot at Southampton, piloting in supertankers from the NAB tower to the docks. As Christian says, he always had ambition but without the financial support and the belief from us he would not have been able to make his dream a reality. Now he is well on his way to doing just that.

Max

Superyachting
It’s not always clear from the start how your maritime career will develop. Sometimes you need to stay flexible. After leaving school early and taking a couple of local jobs, Max decided he wanted to do the 4 year UKSA Cadetship and applied to the Foundation for funding. But he had little or no sailing experience, so we arranged for him to go on a week’s sail training trip on the Lord Nelson before going any further. Max really enjoyed the trip and not only impressed the crew but also took the opportunity to get some advice on his plans. With our support he went on to do his Yachtmasters at UKSA and then spent the next two years based on the Island, sailing in Cowes, doing some yacht deliveries and trying out a few different jobs, taking the time to figure out what he wanted to do longer term. Five years on he is well established in his career with a job on a 65m superyacht, working his way up the ladder and travelling the world, with a clear ambition to continue to grow and develop. Looking back he's glad he kept his options open. “It’s been a long journey but it has created a lot of opportunities for me. Without the Foundation’s funding I highly doubt I would be where I am now."

Lucy

Civil Rescue
Maritime careers come in all shapes and sizes. Lucy’s began when she went as a volunteer on an NGO ship rescuing refugees in the Mediterranean. Her first rotation included rescuing 223 people off Libya in a small boat with no fuel, no lifejackets and no idea of where they were going. After that she resolved to continue her work in civil rescue by becoming a paid member of the on board team, and later to teach others to do the same. She’s recently done her STCW, a basic requirement for anyone working on a boat, and she will soon be doing her AEC basic marine engineering qualifications, all with our support.

Danieka

Danieka was living at the Foyer Hostel, where she saw a poster on the wall for a UKSA employability course, which she did. She then was keen to continue at UKSA to do their Watersports Instructor Course, which is where the Foundation stepped in and paid for it. Now she is a UKSA Ambassador and  has a permanent job with them, and plans to work abroad next year. She was nominated for the High Sheriff’s youth award and received a certificate acknowledging her achievement in turning her life around.

John

John is 29 and works for a Will Squibb boatbuilder in St Helens. He grew up and was educated on the Island and then completed an HND in Furniture Studies (furniture making). After a spell working for a bespoke furniture business in Hertfordshire he decided to return to his island roots and worked in Cowes before starting with the boatbuilder four years ago.

For his boatbuilding job, he is limited by his lack of training in fibreglass. The Foundation agreed to fund 50% of his City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Marine Construction, Systems Engineering and Maintenance at Southampton City College over two years. The Foundation partnership with Red Funnel also entitled him to free travel on Red Funnel for his weekly trip to Southampton, worth more than the cost of the training. The employer is paying the other 50% and making it possible for John to have one day a week at college.. Both ill and John are delighted that with the Foundation support he is able to do this training. It has also sent a very positive message to the local boatbuilding community. .  

James

James is 20 and has lived on the Isle of Wight since he was 16. He attended VIth Form college for one year but did not complete his studies due to ill health.  James has lived alone on the Island from the age of 16.

The Foundation has supported James to do a Watersports Instructor course. He has done well on the course and the qualification gives him opportunities for employment and he has a conditional offer from UKSA for work over the summer. 

Ben  

Ben is 22 and the eldest of a large family. He was brought up and mostly educated on the Island, completing 3 A levels and going on to Southampton Solent University. He quickly realised he wanted to do something a lot more practical, and determined on a career as a deckhand and ultimately as a workboat skipper. He had completed two basic qualifications but was finding it impossible to get any experience at sea, so he applied to the Foundation to do two further qualifications at Red Ensign to help him get started. The Foundation approved his application but also referred him to the Yarmouth Harbour Master, for further advice. From there he was referred to Seacat and has been offered a 6 week traineeship followed by a one year apprenticeship. 

The Foundation has agreed to pay him a weekly amount  towards his living and travel expenses for the duration of the trainee-ship and apprenticeship.

Lloyd

Lloyd is 21 and has lived on the Island all his life. Since leaving school he has spent two years working as part of a catering team.

Lloyd has recently started a two-year apprenticeship in Marine Engineering with LandRover BAR. He spends four days a week shadowing the lead engineer, and one day a week at the Maritime College in Southampton. He is very excited to have this opportunity and he has done well to secure it, but the cost of travel to and from the Isle of Wight is beyond his means on the limited salary he is earning, so he applied to the Foundation for help with this expense.

The partnerships between the Foundation and Red Funnel and Hovertravel have enabled him to have free travel on Red Funnel for the course and Hovertravel for his work at LandRover BAR in Portsmouth. 

Daniel 

Dan is 20 and lives in Shanklin, He has elderly grandparents on the Island and he and his mother came to live here permanently two years ago to care for them, interrupting his college course in Design Technology.

Dan has since managed to secure himself a two-year boat building apprenticeship at Composite Crafts in Medina Yard in Cowes which involves one day a week at Southampton College to study boatbuilding and engineering. This is a good opportunity for Dan to get started on a career in boat design and building. 

However he is unable to meet the cost of travelling to the mainland one day a week for the course, so without support he would not be able to make ends meet. The Foundation has awarded him a contribution to his living expenses and the partnership with Red Funnel has given him free travel to his course in Southampton.

Tom

Tom, who came to us from the Sea Cadets has successfully completed his four-month Yachtmasters course at UKSA last month and passed his Yachtmaster Offshore Qualification, funded by the Foundation. He has recently been employed on a Super Steam yacht in the Caribbean and plans to work his way up to super-yacht skipper.

“I am once again extremely thankful for the financial support the Foundation has given me.  Without your support this qualification would have been out of reach.”

Ashleigh

is 19 years old and lives in Cowes. She was born and educated on the Isle of Wight, and left school after  GCSEs to do a BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Sports and Outdoor Education at UKSA. After volunteering with the Wave Project for the last two summers helping young people with special needs she decided she wanted to develop a career working with people from disadvantaged backgrounds based on maritime activities. 

She has been unsure about how to pursue this after leaving full time education and being unable to access much career guidance.

She took up the offer that the Foundation  Grants Panel made to her for advice from ASTO.  She has now decided the best way forward is to do a Yachtmaster qualification at UKSA.  Her family are not in a position to support her and although she has some savings to put towards the cost of her course, her future earnings in the charitable sector are likely to be low. The Foundation has agreed to pay a substantial portion of the course fee.

Callum 

Callum is 16. He has managed to get himself on a fully-funded UKSA 18 week Watersports Instructor course but was having to borrow money to pay for his bus fare between Freshwater and Cowes every day. He applied for his bus fares and if possible a contribution to the cost of the T shirt, gilet and fleece he is supposed to have. It later emerged that his wetsuit zip has given out so he also needs to buy a second-hand wetsuit from UKSA. The Foundation agreed to pay his bus fares and to purchase a wet suit.

Callum’s UKSA Traineeship has now finished and he already has nearly all the qualifications he needs to get a job in the summer. He says "Thanks to your generosity I have been able to get everything I needed, it really has helped. Many thanks once again for all of your support.”

Lucy 

Lucy has passed her Watersports Instructor Course at UKSA which she completed last month. UKSA has confirmed that she will be working as an instructor there this summer.

Lucy writes:  “I have recently finished the WIT course at UKSA and thoroughly enjoyed it, it was very hard work but a lot of fun.  It was very, very cold at times but well worth taking part.  I have my windsurfing instructor, my sup instructor, my 2 star in kayaking and canoeing, first aid, power boat level 2, rescue on the water.  I have almost completed my dinghy but have to retake the instructor week as I was ill and had an ankle injury, which I will do during the summer.  I have an instructor week at UKSA at the end of March before hopefully starting work at UKSA through the summer.  I would like to than the Royal Yacht Squadron for the opportunity they have given me to take part in this course and plan for the future”

George

George approached the Foundation for support to do a Yachtmasters Course but lacked sea-going experience to be sure this was the right route for him The Foundation arranged for him to spend 2 days working on the OYT new boat re-fit.  The full working day was a learning experience for him and he has been offered a place on a one week trip with the OYT in the summer as an opportunity to broaden his horizons. This will be funded jointly by OYT and the RYS Foundation.