The Australian International Marine Export Group (AIMEX), the Boating Industry Association (BIA) and Marine Jobs hosted the second annual Gold Coast Marine Jobs & Careers Expo, on Saturday 7 September 2024. This free-to-attend Expo connected over 1,200 attendees offering the unique experience to explore key waterfront sites within the Coomera Marine Precinct, including The Boat Works, Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard, and Riviera Australia.
The Expo highlighted the variety of local job opportunities, serving as a conduit for career exploration, networking, and industry insights that attracted a diverse audience of job seekers, individuals considering career changes, transitioning defence personnel, those from higher education looking at advanced manufacturing career opportunities, and attendees interested in the learning more about this evolving industry.
Aspiring marine industry hopefuls engaged in exclusive technical tours through three shipyard locations which provided a chance to get up close with vessels from the Australian Border Force, Arro Jet Boats, Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) and Riviera Australia, gaining firsthand insights into the types of roles required to design, build, service and operate this extensive variety of vessels.
Presentations ran throughout the day and were well-attended, offering valuable insights on apprenticeships & pathway programs, Australian Defence Force & Border Force recruitment, superyacht careers, advanced manufacturing, women in marine, and pathways to a maritime career. Panellists included James Quartermaine – Australian Border Force, Keira Badke – Riviera Australia, Andrew Chapman – Gold Coast City Marina, Gary Cooper – Stella Marine, Dan Williams – Hybrid Composites and Joe Akacich of BlackPond Marine Consultants to name but a few.
Additionally, a main feature of the day was the opportunity to connect directly with employers through a live jobs board and exhibition booths, with 102 vacant positions advertised by the 34 exhibitors present at the expo.
Andrew Chapman, Chief Operations Officer of the Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard which hosts over 90 small businesses onsite within the Coomera Precinct commented; “Every day around 700 people attend onsite to build, repair, refit and maintain all sizes and shapes of vessels up to the inspirational Superyachts. The Gold Coast Marine Jobs & Careers Expo is important to us as it provides an opportunity to showcase what GCCM has to offer and how we build our sites capability by attracting more motivated young people, those looking for a career change and joining the businesses at GCCM as we ramp up for the next wave of expansions in the Coomera precinct. Our Stage 2 expansion will generate opportunities for another 1000 people over the foreseeable future.”
Exhibitors noted the strong engagement and high calibre of candidates throughout the day which saw some attendees travel from as far away as Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Ballina, Toowoomba, Airlie Beach and Bundaberg. One in particular, Cam Hutchinson, a passionate sailor, systems engineer graduate from Monash University and qualified fabricator was told about the event by the Sandringham Yacht Club Commodore arrived from Melbourne to investigate advanced manufacturing capability of the local industry. Cam was overwhelmed by the variety of opportunities on offer and is exploring ongoing conversations with prospective employers This was a similar story for many attendees who travelled from out of the region.
Phoebe Smart, Crew Placement Manager & Yacht Support of Yachtsmen International, a superyacht services company located within The Boat Works superyacht yard commented; “The Careers Expo was a very valuable exercise for myself and Yachtsmen International. It was great to see so many young people seeing what the Maritime industry has to offer. The networking opportunities for our organisation during the expo were invaluable, meeting other industry professionals and fostering connections for us to work together to grow the industry.”
Whilst the expo primarily focused on career opportunities for attendees, exhibitors took advantage of the event to develop valuable connections with one another, leading to the development of new business opportunities. While the main goal was to connect job seekers with career opportunities, these potential business relationships highlight the event’s broader impact of facilitating partnership and collaboration opportunities beyond the immediate career-focused objectives.
Adam Chanter, Maritime Industry Skills Advisor and Event Organiser from AIMEX commented; “We are thrilled to host the Gold Coast Marine Jobs & Careers Expo and provide the local marine industry an opportunity to showcase the exciting career opportunities available to future recruits,” said. “This is our fourth in two years event delivered across Queensland aimed at inspiring and educating the next generation of skilled marine workers that needed to support the growth of the industry.”
The 2024 Gold Coast Marine Jobs & Careers Expo is made possible by the ongoing support from the Department of State Development & Infrastructure, City of Gold Coast, Regional Development Australia – Gold Coast, Workforce Australia – Local Jobs Program, Department of Employment, Small Business & Training, TAFE Queensland, Riviera Australia, Gold Coast City Marina and Shipyard, The Boat Works Gold Coast, The Tour Collective, Maritimo, Australian Border Force, Australian Defence Force, Marine Jobs, Boating Industry Australia, Australian International Marine Export (AIMEX), Australian Commercial Marine Group (ACMG) and Superyacht Australia.
