The Professional Yachtsmen’s Association (PYA) will launch a new formal structure for the training and certification of interior crew working on large superyachts during the 2011 Monaco Yacht Show & Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. This structure has been developed in close consultation with all the stakeholders: Interior Crew; Captains; Training Providers; Charter Agents and Crew Agencies.
PYA GUEST© – INTERIOR CREW TRAINING & CERTIFICATION
An Industry Standard for Guidelines for Unified Excellence Service Training
Background
Deck and engineering crew have long benefited from a clearly defined scheme, based on formal study and work experience, for achieving certification, but, until now, no such scheme has been available to interior crew.
The Need
Interior yacht crew play a vital & fundamental role as the front line interface with owners and yacht charter guests: their job is to ensure that top level service and hospitality are provided on board. Until now there has been little formal training available for this role and, furthermore, the training that does exist varies widely in both objectives and standards. The GUEST© initiative unifies these different approaches.
Aim
This career structure for interior crew provides is based on a combination of work experience and formal training. Each level of qualification, from Introduction Level, through Operational Level to Management Level is achieved by combining time spent with working for guests on-board with formal study. In this way, a comprehensive industry standard for the training of interior crew has been created.
The Consultation Process
The PYA, the professional body for all yacht crew, established a Work Group that includes a wide range of industry professionals:- Captains, Chief Stewardesses and Chief Stewards, Sommeliers, Charter Agents, Crew Agents, Training Providers and the PYA’s own Continuous Professional Development Team. This Work Group has spent the last year working to establish a clear career path for Interior Crew Training and Certification. The result of this effort is the Guidelines for Unified Excellence Service Training (GUEST©). GUEST© has been created by the industry for the industry.
The Launch
The PYA will present GUEST© to the industry, during the Monaco Yacht Show, at the PYA’s forum: “Sea Changes – New Currents for Superyachts” which will take place at 17.00 on Thursday 22nd. September at the Monaco International School, Monaco.
A further presentation of GUEST© will take place, during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, at the Superyacht Society Forum on 28th October.
