yogibear1

I am currently studying Boat Building on the Gold Coast with TAFE and I have come across some disappointing news that I feel you should all be aware of.

I must stress that at the moment this is just a rummer that was going around the students on Friday and also around International Student Services at the college although no one seems to know where the source has come from. It seems that Boat Building will be coming off of the Skilled Migration List, most likely Sept this year when the SML is updated. I MUST STRESS THAT AT THE MOMENT THIS IS STILL JUST A RUMMER and I will be doing everything I can to find out more real soon. But for you guys who have commited themselves and your families to coming here with hopes and dreams of studing Boat Building, getting residency and making a new life here it might not be all its cracked up to be.

Since starting the course, and there are only 13 of us on it. 10 of us have had much dificulty finding work in Boat Building. People talk about Riviera being the biggest fiberglaass Boat Building company on the Gold Coast well they have just let go off 180 staff and Quintrex who are the largest aluminium boat building company on the Gold Coast have just let 10% of their staff go so there is a real problem finding work at the moment. I must say that 3 guys are working and have been from the start of the course so maybe they were just in the right place and right time.

I just felt I should let you guys who are thinking of Boat Building here and have no skills or qualifications are not going to find it as easy as one might have originally thought. Sorry to put a downer on your days

Please feel free to ask me any questions

J

shark bait

got to say i,m worried about this .
i,ve enrolled on the jan 09 course.
i,ve contacted the agent, they say that boat building is still a wanted profession, but the credit crunch in the USA is affecting the industry.
i,m now wondering weather to transfer to carpentry/cabinet making , which i,ve got previous with

moneypenny20

If I were you I'd be more than considering it. Riviera has just laid off more workers in the past few days. If you get the right qualifications and have the rights skills for carpentry/cabinet making you would have no problem in the future getting into boat building when the industry starts picking up again. Would give you more opportunity for diversifying into different industries IMO.

PaulandNic

Not forgetting Azzura have recently laid off quite a few, and plenty of talk about more to follow. The $4.7 million 70ft boat they're building for Riviera originally had 6 orders. Now they have 2!

I've just come out of the boat building industry, and if you want my advice I wouldn't study it in a million years for PR.

I picked and studied hairdressing for one reason! ... to keep the missus happy! ... ... but seriously, I HAD to get MODL points too so wanted the best chance of success, and hairdressing gave that ...

shark bait

yeh
really considering my options now.
good job i read the top post!
if im taking a family of 4 to the other side of the world
i,ve got to pick a trade which i,m going to be able to find work.

going to go for either horticulture in nambour
or cabinet making .

PaulandNic

Or more importantly surely, give you PR!

No good being skilled and qualified without PR mate!

I was gonna come here and do either Motor Mechanic or another trade, but as PR sat on it all I chose the 'best chance of success' ... regardless of whether I'll continue in the field or not.

Study to PR is as risky as it'll get!

Best of luck with what you decide tho!

yogibear1

Hey Chris,

Have you considered the sponsorship route? There is a need for skilled and qualified carpenters here as the majority of the homes here are made from timber. Places like Coomera and Hope Island are building a massive amount of homes as we speak. Would save you a hell of a lot of money from not doing the course, you would be earning which is always good thing and you would have no restrictions, for you and your missus.

James

matt_d

Hi,
I would be really interested in an update on this issue because I am considering the Gold Coast Boat Building course as a way of getting PR. It's something that I am genuinely interested in. However, if the industry is suffering to the point of being very difficult to gain the necessary work experience for PR, I would have serious second thoughts. I would be very grateful to hear from people who are currently doing or have finished this course and what they think of it and what the prospects are to gain sufficient work experience for PR.

Shark bait, what did you end up going for in the end and how are you finding it??

I am also considering bricklaying or hairdressing (which are probably about as opposite extremes as career choices can go but, as was said earlier, it's about getting the PR in the end) or horticulture at Sunshine Coast TAFE so any feedback from people who have done/are doing these would be much appreciated as well.

I would imagine both boat building and bricklaying would be amongst the first to be hit by the global financial crisis but it's hard to get an idea of how bad it's been over in Oz?

Any help/advice/thoughts are much appreciated.
Thanks, Matt

moneypenny20

The biggest builder on the coast, Riviera, is in receivership. They are still open for business and are showing at the GC Boat Show but I'd imagine it's a very uncertain way of getting PR at the moment, lots laid off and working with a minimal staff. If you need to do work experience to finish the course, I think it's highly unlikely the college will find builders to take you (not on the GC anyway) - however who knows what the industry will be like in two/three years time when you finish?

concretebob

The OP mentioned that his profession was rumored to being removed from the skilled Migration List in September, This is the first I heard of this and I wonder if other occupations will be getting the chop as well?

moneypenny20

You would have to check the MODL. No one 'knows' prior to DIAC making the decision. There are always rumours but that's all they are. No one, not even the best Agents in the world, know.

NickyC

The OP said it in May 2008 (check the date the thread was started). If it did happen - it would have been September of last year he was talking about.

yogibear1

Hey Guys. I started this thread in may last year after many of us had problems finding work and so on. Im afraid that due to the economy and teh global economic crisis things have gone from bad to worse. Boat Builders all over Australia are closing up due to lack of orders and Riviera (who I mentioned are the biggest boat builders on the gold coast) have gone into receivership despite selling 5 boats, totaling appox. 5mil at the recent boat show. So for now all the current students at TAFE are still on the course but we have been told there will not be another course which was supposed to start in Jan 2009. Even the tutors are uncertain of their position at the Coomera TAFE (where they only teach Boat Building), but they do still have apprentices coming in.

For me, once my course finishes in Nov this year I will be looking at moving from the Gold Coast unless the global situation takes a dramatic U-turn. Nearer the time I will get online and search for Australian based Boat Builders (all over the country) and wherever their is work i will move to until I can get my points.

Hoping this helps you all

J

tomar

Really sorry to hear about the down turn in the boat building trade.
Totally sympathise as a fellow international student, now waiting, for who knows how long, for the 885 visa to come through.
It's a big investment trying to get PR through this route, and hope that it all works out for you.

pumpkin blossom

What a shame. Is this an occupation where you need 900 hours work (I assume so). If so, how are you going with that? Remember that you can't get the next visa without already having that 900 hours.

Good luck