Gold Coast Marine Careers Open Day aims to attract workers to booming industry

From school leavers with no experience to skilled tradies, hundreds of well-paid jobs are on offer in the Gold Coast’s glitzy marine industry. Here’s how to secure one of the roles available.

Workers are being offered the chance to get a slice of the Gold Coast’s booming marine business at a major jobs fair on Saturday.

Boating businesses big and small will gather for the Gold Coast Marine Careers Open Day at the Coomera Marine Precinct, hoping to entice locals into the industry.

David Good, CEO of Australian International Marine Export Group, said that while recruiters would be seeking experienced tradies looking for better working conditions, there would also be some roles with no experience required.

“There’s washing down the boat, there’s detailing jobs, there’s electrical jobs,” he said.

“Defence is there. They’ve got to recruit the nuclear submariners of the future. They’ve got a very big demand.

The Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard.

“(There are jobs for) naval architects, people that are in the design and engineering side of things.

“(There’s) fabricators, welders, boiler makers, cabinetry making – because the furniture on board a lot of these vessels is very bespoke – carpet installers, electricians.

“And crew. The superyacht industry is screaming out for more crew because there’s a record amount of very large vessels that are in build at the moment and they all require crew to man them once they get launched.”

The Riviera factory.

Mr Good said that pay in the industry was “competitive” – although it could not compete with the mining sector.

However he said the lifestyle opportunity marine jobs afforded was second to none.

“We can’t compete on price with the mines and construction but we can guarantee people that they’ll always work somewhere near the water,” he said.

“ … (Wages are) competitive, depending on what level of skill that you’re at.

“For a superyacht that’s being refit, they are spending a significant amount of money.

“There’s a refit that’s due to be done on the Gold Coast and they’re going to spend in the region of $22 million. The level of detail and the craftsmanship that they will be chasing will be much greater than someone who is doing installs on a 15ft sailing vessel.

“We need the people that are quite happy to work on that 15ft vessel and the ones who are really at the peak of their trade to work on the $22m refit.”

The Boat Works lifting crew.

Attendees on Saturday will have the opportunity to tour Riviera Australia, Maritimo, The Boat Works and Gold Coast City Marina.

Organisers say the open day is targeted to attract a wide variety of participants including high school and university students, defence personnel transitioning to civilian roles, and those eyeing a career change.

Mr Good said large boat manufacturers on the Gold Coast had a lengthy pipeline of work, meaning there was a huge need for more workers, which the open day was designed to help fill.

“The beauty of this event is you’ll have everybody there,” he said.

“You’ll have people there trying to recruit people to come and wash down boats, to drive tugs, to be potential submariners.

“It shows that there is a pathway (in the marine industry) depending on whichever trade or job you want to do.”

The Gold Coast Marine Careers Open Day takes place at the Coomera Marine Precinct from 9am to 2pm on Saturday.

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