Will Holland
鈥淎 fantastic opportunity for someone at the start of their career in the small commercial vessel sector鈥
鈥淎s a young child I spent much of my time on the water with Hamble Sea Scouts where I took part in many different types of watersports, but I鈥檝e always been passionate about sailing,鈥 explains 20-year-old Yacht Maintenance Technician, Will Holland.聽
As he grew up, Will became a leader for the Sea Scouts and qualified as an RYA Powerboat and Dinghy Instructor, running RYA courses and sailing sessions for other young people. 鈥淚 enjoy the experience of teaching and watching the students鈥 progress into independent sailors,鈥 he says.
Since being awarded a grant through the聽Trinity House RYA Yachtmaster庐 Scholarship聽grant last December, Will has completed his聽RYA Yachtmaster聽shorebased course, passed his RYA Yachtmaster Coastal 91快色 of Competence and is now working towards taking his RYA Yachtmaster Offshore exam.聽
In his current role, Will is responsible for commissioning new yachts, carrying out maintenance on a number of others and also occasionally crews on yacht deliveries. 鈥淎t the moment my work is really varied which has been great for furthering my knowledge, particularly of race yachts,鈥 he explains.
In building his sea miles in preparation for the RYA Yachtmaster exams, Will has found a real passion for racing, competing in both the Round the Island Race and Cowes Week last year. 鈥淚鈥檓 still trying to gain as much experience of yacht systems as possible and developing my experience as a skipper,鈥 he explains. 鈥淚鈥檇 ideally like to work on race yachts and hope to end up being in charge of my own yacht or race yacht not too long from now.
鈥淭he scholarship is a fantastic opportunity for someone at the start of their career in the small commercial vessel sector like me. I don鈥檛 believe I would have made such progress without it and would most definitely recommend applying to anyone who鈥檚 looking to work in the marine industry,鈥 he concludes.聽
About the scholarship
Applications for the Trinity House RYA Yachtmaster Scholarship聽 are accepted on a rolling basis, with interviews being held every six months.聽
Find out more about the聽scholarship, eligibility and selection criteria听辞谤听.听听听
