Poole Harbour and the Marine Industry by Adam Corney, Director, Marine South West
Poole Harbour, the second largest natural harbour in the world was formed from a drowned river valley around the time of the last Ice Age. Since that time the port has increased its importance and has seen considerable improvements in prosperity through modernisation, redevelopment and embracing further commercial links within Europe. Recently, the future prospects of the port have been boosted with a deepening of the main ship channel to 7.5 metres. With a deeper channel, Poole should see an increase in the number of visiting cruise ships to complement the freight and passenger operations.
Poole Harbour is an exceptional location for tourism generating up to £150m a year and providing around 5,000 jobs. As a haven for recreational sailing and water sports the harbour caters for all. With its strong economy and extensive waters the harbour is host to a variety of marine businesses, from small to medium sized enterprises comprising of 1 to 249 employees to multi-nationals such as Sunseeker International providing around 1700 jobs alone. Marine businesses in and around the harbour include boat builders and repairers, charter and hire companies, marinas, sailing and motorboat schools, fishing and fish merchants and marine engineers to mention but a few.
The government and a host of specialist companies provide support from basic business advice to solutions through available funding and grants. Business Link and the Federation of Small Businesses are two bodies that can provide a multitude of events, workshops and networking opportunities as well as providing information to start up businesses. The marine sector, as with other sectors, also has within it a variety of specialist bodies that are able to assist and support marine related businesses. One such organisation is Marine South West, a company formed in order to increase the business competitiveness of marine sector companies in the South West region. It is supported by a group of public sector bodies which includes South West Regional Development Agency, Government Office South West, Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance and trade associations such as British Marine Federation and Engineering Employers' Federation.
The British Marine Federation is the trade association for the British boating industry. The Federation's 1,500 Members account for a substantial amount of the industry's turnover and employ around 30,000 people. They are drawn from both the seagoing and inland sectors of the marine industry covering the leisure boat, hire fleet, commercial workboat and superyacht categories and supporting services. They also provide services and information on export, training and training grants, careers, legal, technical and commercial.
Business Link runs an exciting initiative called MareNet, specifically designed for local businesses in the marine sector. Its aim is to enhance the development of the local marine industry by providing a network that focuses purely on marine interests.
The latest initiative within the marine sector is the establishment of the Marine Skills Centre based in Poole, the result of a survey carried out by Plymouth University in 2004 into the skills needs of the marine industry in the South West. To address the skills gap within the industry, attention is being focused on generic skills such as Business and Management and IT and marine craft skills such as Electronic/Mechanical Engineering and Composites.
The primary aim of the Marine Skills Centre, the first of three to open across the South West, is to address the real needs of the large number of small and micro-businesses that make up the sector by providing innovative, dedicated and demand-led marine training services and facilities.
For more information on the Marine Skills Centre and its activities please contact the Centre Manager Steve Potter on 01202 606522 or visit the website at www.marineskills.co.uk