All aboard! Meet Cobra's current apprentices

Cobra RIBs are passionate about providing young people with a gateway into the marine industry. We regularly onboard apprentices onto our ‘earn as you learn’ apprenticeship scheme, with all our apprentices working towards ‘Standards’ qualifications over the course of three to four years. Meet our current apprentice cohort below!

Charlie Cramer, Production Engineer Apprentice

From the day I started my apprenticeship at Cobra RIBs, the whole team has been very welcoming. Everyone has been helpful and has explained everything to me in an easy and understandable way.

I chose a marine electrical apprenticeship because I have lived on the south coast for all my life where the marine industry is prominent. I have always enjoyed working with and being around boats, so I felt it would be a good fit for me. After two training days and an interview with Cobra, I decided it was the perfect career path for me.

Daily tasks include measuring and marking out where different pieces of equipment will be fitted to a boat, screwing, gluing or bonding components to boats, cleaning boats before customer handovers, testing engines, and carrying out gel repairs.

Tom Roberts, Senior Service Engineer Apprentice

From a young age I was very interested in boats and admired them as a hobby. I also had a keen interest in engineering, so, I decided to combine the two and become a marine engineer.

Since joining Cobra RIBs as an apprentice back in 2020, I have always felt appreciated and a valued member of the team. We have a good balance between working hard and having fun!

Day to day I am normally servicing and carrying out general maintenance on older boats. However, some boats will come in with bigger issues like needing an engine rebuild.

If I had to describe Cobra RIBs in three words, they would be fun, stimulating and hands-on.

Ben Davies, Production Engineer Apprentice

I chose to do a marine electrical apprenticeship at Cobra RIBs because I wanted to learn a trade. Being a practical person, I have always wanted to work in a role where I would be hands on for the majority of the time.

I became interested in the electrical aspects of the job because of my dad’s line of work, which involves electrical engineering. I also enjoy the outdoors, so the marine electrical industry caught my eye, and I felt this would be better suited to me compared to domestic electrical.

Some of my daily tasks include hole-saw drilling and cutting fibre glass mouldings, wiring up electrical components, gel repairs and shadowing.

I was made to feel very welcome when I started; everyone was happy to help and ensured I felt comfortable in a completely new environment. They have given me plenty of jobs to do which is brilliant, as I can get more experience using some of the different tools.

Finn, Production Engineer Apprentice

I chose to do a marine electrical apprenticeship because I have always been around boats with my dad and growing up, we had a 424 Orkney Dory and a Zodiac Pro 420.

I have always enjoyed boating, in particular fast RIBs and powerboats so Cobra RIBs was perfect for me.

When I arrived, everyone made me feel welcome and they always helped me when needed. My mentor, Ed, is really helpful when explaining a job, especially if I have never done that job before.

Ed and my project lead always help and assist when needed in my daily tasks, which usually starts with housekeeping and looking at the task whiteboard.

I have learnt a lot of valuable skills during my time at Cobra RIBs and I look forward to further development and opportunities in the future.

Scott, Service Engineer Apprentice

I have always been a practical person, so at college I studied a year of marine engineering and really enjoyed it. Naturally, I investigated apprenticeships in this career field, and this led me to Cobra RIBs.

Some of the daily tasks include assisting in daily duties around the workshop, such as servicing and general repairs.

I feel that I have been included and welcomed by the service team well, and I enjoy getting involved in the friendly banter and chats within the group.

If I had to describe Cobra RIBs in three words, I would say exciting, prestigious and encouraging.

Charlie, Ben and Scott during their first week at Cobra Ribs (September 22)

Tom and Scott having a well deserved break in the staff tearoom.

Marine Engineering Apprenticeship Opportunities at Cobra RIBs

If you love the sound of our marine apprenticeships and would like to kickstart your career by learning from the team at one of the UK’s leading performance boat manufacturers, send your CV to us at recruitment@cobraribs.com and a member of the team will be in touch!