UNCERTAIN SEA LEGS WALK UNEMPLOYED COURSE PARTICIPANTS INTO NEW JOBS

A unique training course in Milford Haven for the long-term unemployed which included a life-changing six day sailing voyage across the Irish Sea is looking for its next trainees after the first group regained their land legs and all walked into jobs or further training opportunities.

Of the 12 participants on the 10-week course run as part of Rising Tide, a project which aims to regenerate coastal communities in North, Mid and West Wales and Southern Ireland, seven have found jobs, one is joining the Army, one has secured an apprenticeship and the others are going on to training which will take them into employment.

Led by Milford Haven Port Authority, the Rising Tide project covers six counties on the West Wales Coast - Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Anglesey and Conwy – and in Southern Ireland, the South Eastern counties of Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny and South Tipperary.

It is one of the largest European Interreg IVA-funded projects of its kind and aims to develop maritime events, activities and projects with local stakeholders, expanding maritime tourism local enterprise to improve local economies sustainably.

The 12 students on the Rising Tide course, aged between 17 and 56, studied the craft and technicalities of boatbuilding at Pembrokeshire College's Marine Engineering Training Centre (MITEC) on Milford docks, and put their skills into practice by contributing to the building of a replica 19th century fishing boat, the Tenby Lugger. Irish students in County Wexford learned similar skills and built replicas of Irish traditional small craft.

A key element of the course was the opportunity for some of the students from Milford Haven and New Ross, County Wexford to meet up on a six-day voyage between the two locations on the 72-foot yacht Challenge Wales. Originally raced around the world in 2000, the yacht has now been purchased by the Cardiff Bay based charity, Maiden Voyage, to enable the people from across Wales aged between 12 and 25 to experience sailing regardless of background, financial circumstances or sailing ability.

The trainees, some with no experience of the water, spent a day afloat in the Haven learning the ropes and practicing to be part of a crew of 14, before they set off for New Ross in time for the Dunbrody festival. There they acted as stewards at a show which starred Jedward and Vanilla Ice before the return Irish Sea crossing in huge waves and high winds.

Richard James, Rising Tide project coordinator in Wales, said the voyage was the sort which gave groups of young people enormous experience of lifeskills and team working that could not be copied.

“This voyage took these youngsters outside their own environment, away from their comfort zones and taught them to rely on each other and work together,” he said.

“When I met them off the vessel in New Ross, I could see the mixture of tiredness and yet elation on their faces. We have taken them to a place they would never normally get, we have given them experiences they would never normally have and we have put them in a place where they can build their lives with a real future.

“We are really proud of all the students on our course this year, and wish them every success for the future – and look forward to hearing from other long-term unemployed people who might want to be part of this success story when the course starts again later this year.”

A recruitment day for the next course is being held on 9th September at the MITEC Centre, and the deadline for applying is 13th September. Interviews will be held between 21st-23rd September, and the course starts on 4th October. Details are available by calling 01437 753 161 or emailing admissions@pembrokeshire.ac.uk