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T Levels focus on vocational skills and can help students into skilled employment, higher study or apprenticeships. Each T Level includes an in-depth industry placement that lasts at least 45 days. Students get valuable experience in the workplace; employers get early sight of the new talent in their industry.
This occupation is found in the marine sector.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to build boats such as yachts, workboats or superyachts and repair existing boats. Boats may be made of composites, metals or wood, so a boatbuilder works with and understands the capabilities of a variety of materials. They can read and interpret engineering and technical drawings to produce moulds, jigs, plugs and templates to create complex shapes using a variety of measuring equipment, machines and hand tools. They manufacture, assemble and repair components that form the structure of a boat as well as the interior and exterior fit out. The boatbuilder will be multi-skilled and capable of adapting to changing demands as boats become more complex, and new materials and methods are introduced.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with associated trades such as marine engineers and marine electricians.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for the quality and accuracy of their work. Boatbuilders work both individually and as part of a team. They understand and comply with organisational and statutory safety including sustainability requirements and can work with minimal supervision.
| Duty | KSBs |
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Duty 1 Develop and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, customers, suppliers, technical support staff, and other relevant personnel, to ensure that customer and business requirements are met. |
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Duty 2 Maintain their own health and safety and that of others at work, ensuring a safe working environment including control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH), working at height, on the water and lifting operations, whilst preventing incidents, accidents and damage to assets. |
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Duty 3 Plan for and set up tasks, following approved work methods. Interpret and use boatbuilding drawings, technical specifications, boatbuilding principles and organisational policies and procedures to assign materials and produce, manufacture, fit out or repair vessel hulls, structures, components or hardware. |
K2 K3 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K19 K20 K21 K25 K27 K28 K30 |
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Duty 4 Select appropriate methods for positioning and holding materials and components in place during assembly, line-up, connecting or fixing. |
K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K15 K22 K27 |
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Duty 5 Select appropriate methods to produce, prepare, use, maintain and store plugs, moulds, jigs and templates. |
K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K27 K30 |
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Duty 6 Prepare the work area, assemble or disassemble, move, shape and manipulate components or make repairs using suitable methods whilst safeguarding the integrity of components and the surrounding areas. |
K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K15 K25 K27 K28 |
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Duty 7 Ensure the correct fixings, sealants and finishes are used (interior or exterior and above or below the waterline). Check that the quality of finish meets customer, operational and or regulatory requirements. |
K6 K7 K8 K10 K11 K12 K13 K15 K23 K24 K26 K27 |
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Duty 8 Make the most efficient and sustainable use of products, materials, tools and equipment to reduce waste and minimise adverse environmental impacts. |
K6 K7 K8 K10 K11 K12 K13 K15 K27 K28 |
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Duty 9 Restore the work area and dispose of waste (including hazardous waste) in a responsible manner, ensuring compliance with organisational procedures and relevant environmental regulations. |
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Duty 10 Conduct functional tests and visual and quality checks to the required standards. |
K1 K2 K3 K6 K7 K8 K10 K15 K16 K17 K18 K22 K23 K24 K26 K27 |
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Duty 11 Identify boatbuilding defects, provide correct solutions for rectification, and implement within own area of responsibility. |
K2 K3 K6 K7 K8 K10 K11 K13 K15 K16 K17 K18 K26 K27 |
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Duty 12 Complete documentation at the relevant stages of the boatbuilding work operations in accordance with organisational policy, procedures and any other relevant information and guidance. |
K3 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K15 K16 K17 K26 K28 |
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Duty 13 Use continuous improvement principles to aid operational, professional, and personal performance and development. |
K2 K3 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K15 K16 K17 K18 |
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Duty 14 Select and use appropriate hand tool and machinery to complete boatbuilding tasks. Perform routine servicing and maintenance on equipment and tools. |
K6 K7 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K15 K25 K27 K28 |
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Duty 15 Select, use and store materials and consumables that are used in boatbuilding activities. |
K1: The national and international boatbuilding industry. Types of organisations and products. Supply chain. Customers. Customer requirements. Impacts on product demand.
Back to Duty
K2: Verbal communication techniques. Giving and receiving information. Matching style to audience. Barriers in communication and how to overcome them.
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K3: Written records and documentation: requirements and methods including use the of digital and information technology
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K4: Non-verbal communication techniques.
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K5: Customer service principles and techniques.
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K6: Boatbuilding terminology.
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K7: Awareness of health and safety regulations, relevant to the occupation and a boatbuilder's responsibilities: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), electrical safety and compliance, emergency evacuation procedures, Health and Safety at Work Act, Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations, health surveillance, manual handling, near miss reporting, noise regulations, Provision and use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER), Personal Protective Equipment at work regulations (PPE), Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE), confined spaces, work at height and work on or near the water.
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K8: Boatbuilding materials, including composites, metal, wood, and components: sourcing, costing and budgeting principles.
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K9: Risk assessment; different types of hazards, hazard awareness, hierarchy of controls and risk mitigation prior to and when undertaking boatbuilding operations. Safety equipment: personal protective equipment (PPE), guards, exclusion zones, signage, fire extinguishers, situational awareness, slips, trips and falls, lone working.
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K10: Sustainable use of products. Efficient use of resources, materials, tools, equipment and energy. Reducing material waste and environmental impact by applying recycling and disposal procedures.
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K11: Principles of selecting and allocating tools, materials, equipment and components. Their maintenance, storage, and expiration date. Manufacturers’ instructions, what they are and how to use them.
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K12: Principles and techniques used in manufacturing boats from composite, wood and metal materials.
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K13: Principles and techniques used to repair existing boats with composite, wood and metal materials.
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K14: Principles, techniques and materials to produce, prepare, use, maintain and store plugs and moulds.
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K15: Standard operating procedures (SOP). What they are and why they are important. What they need to cover and why and where they are located.
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K16: Quality management standards. Quality assurance principles and practice. Record keeping.
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K17: Principles of ensuring boatbuilding processes and work products include continuous improvement techniques and how they are integrated into work processes and procedures.
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K18: Problem solving techniques: diagnostics, root cause analysis, 5 Why’s, PDCA (Plan Do Check Act).
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K19: Human and commercial factors that affect productivity in the workplace and how to identify potential issues and actions to mitigate them; prioritising, work scheduling, workflow and time management techniques.
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K20: Maintenance and restoration of the work environment: principles and techniques.
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K21: Principles of interpreting boatbuilding information.
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K22: Principles and methods of positioning, holding and securing materials when undertaking boatbuilding operations.
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K23: The different fastenings, sealants and adhesives, use both internally and externally, above and below the waterline and how to use them. How to ensure the quality of finish meets requirements.
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K24: The different surface finishes used while undertaking boatbuilding operations and how to apply them.
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K25: Principles and techniques of protecting surfaces, components and structures at all stages of work operations.
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K26: Principles and methods of boatbuilding checks and tests.
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K27: Manufacturer warranties: what they are and impact on boatbuilding work.
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K28: Maintenance practices and techniques for equipment and tools: planned, preventative, predictive and reactive methods and their frequency.
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K29: Equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.
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K30: Principles, techniques and materials to produce, prepare, use, maintain and store jigs and templates.
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K31: Team working principles.
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S1: Communicate verbally and non-verbally with others for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
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S2: Apply customer service principles and techniques.
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S3: Apply health and safety procedures and safe systems of work.
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S4: Identify and document hazards and risks in the workplace. Apply control measures.
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S5: Identify, organise and use resources to complete tasks, with consideration for cost, quality, safety, security and environmental impact.
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S6: Apply environmental and sustainability procedures for example, segregate resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
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S7: Follow standard operational procedures when carrying out work processes.
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S8: Interpret information - paper based or electronic. For example, drawings and designs, formulae, risk assessments, manufacturers' documentation, and repair specifications.
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S9: Produce, prepare, label, use, maintain and store plugs and moulds.
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S10: Produce, prepare, label, use, maintain and store jigs and templates.
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S11: Apply manufacturing techniques to boats such as yachts, workboats or superyachts.
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S12: Apply repair techniques to existing boats such as yachts, workboats or superyachts.
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S13: Apply surface finishes such as varnishes, paints, and gel coats.
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S14: Select, use, and store materials and consumables.
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S15: Apply surface finishing methods and techniques such as polishing.
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S16: Select, use, and store equipment, hand tools and machinery.
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S17: Apply continuous improvement and problem solving techniques.
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S18: Conduct tests and checks when performing boatbuilding work operations.
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S19: Apply techniques and principles of maintaining the workplace environment to restore the work area.
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S20: Record and document information - paper based or electronic. For example, job sheets, risk assessments, process records, test results, handover documents and original equipment manufacturers' (OEM) documentation.
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S21: Apply routine maintenance and servicing techniques to equipment and tools.
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S22: Apply techniques and principles of protecting surfaces, components and structures during all stages of work operations.
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S23: Follow equity, diversity and inclusion procedures.
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S24: Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development activities.
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S25: Apply team working principles.
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S26: Plan own work.
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B1: Committed to continued professional development (CPD) to maintain and enhance competence in their own area of practice.
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B2: Consider the environment and sustainability.
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B3: Supportive of the needs and concerns of others, for example relating to diversity and inclusion.
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B4: Take personal responsibility for and promote health and safety.
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B5: Act in a professional manner.
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B6: Collaborate and promote teamwork across disciplines.
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Awarding organisation: City & Guilds
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