The sector can be proud to have these facilities for training future professionals.

In the Balearic Islands, there are nearly 900 companies dedicated to supporting the nautical sector, providing direct employment to over 5,000 people. Despite these figures, this industry, which generates more than €1,000,000,000 annually, struggles to find qualified professionals for certain trades.

Recently, the Integrated Vocational Training Center L’Embat opened its doors, an educational center with a capacity for 300 students, taking over the recreational boat training from Junípero Serra. Its aim is to offer specialized and quality training to address the shortage of professionals in the sector.

Miquel Mestre, director of Centre L’Embat, visited the studios of Pasión por el Mar to explain the training programs offered at the center and the state-of-the-art facilities where future nautical industry professionals are trained.

"I believe these are 21st-century facilities. There might be some minor details missing, but I genuinely think the sector can be very proud to have these facilities to train future professionals," he acknowledges. He also mentions that the center is not only for future professionals but also for current workers needing training updates.

The new Integrated Vocational Training Center L’Embat, which inaugurated its facilities in November, spans 1,480 square meters divided into various sections: painting, fiber, wood, propulsion plant, machining, welding, rigging, sails, and air conditioning. These new facilities offer basic and intermediate level vocational training in the maintenance and repair of sports boats, as well as various professional certifications.

“The courses we offer at the center aim to produce workers capable of repairing any recreational boat from eight or ten meters to 100 meters in length,” explains Mestre, emphasizing the crucial role of the instructors in achieving this goal.

In addition to the theoretical and practical training at the center, students must complete about 400 hours of internships with companies. "At the center, we commit to providing basic initial training so that when future workers arrive at the companies, they already know the fundamentals of the profession, and then they can further adapt to the companies' specific equipment," states the director of L’Embat.

Those interested in entering the nautical world and studying a vocational degree at L’Embat have until June 28 to register. The new cohort of future professionals in the Balearic nautical sector will be announced in July.