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We caught up with 18-year old Sam Price at the beginning of December, fresh from passing his RYA Intermediate Windsurf Instructor Course and a few months into his apprenticeship with Rockley College.
Former Poole High School student Sam, joined Rockley’s Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport (Outdoors) where he graduated with a merit alongside a range of industry-recognised qualifications, including: RYA Dinghy Instructor, RYA Windsurf Instructor, RYA Safety Boat, RYA Powerboat Level 2 and Paddlesport Instructor.
As a student who excels with a more practical approach to learning, Rockley College was the ideal choice for him post GCSEs: “My parents thought it would be a good option, so, I went to an Open Event. I massively love sport and have played a lot of football but apart from a bit of paddleboarding and surfing, I’ve not really done anything around water."
Despite his lack of experience on the water, Sam wisely took advantage of all the free instructor training that is offered to all students as part of their course, and managed to graduate with a fantastic range of qualifications. It is this level of commitment that will set him apart from other candidates as he pursues a career in the marine and outdoor industry.
After graduating from Rockley College, Sam worked a season at Rockley’s UK-based centres before starting the Outdoor Instructor Apprenticeship. Sam proved himself to be the ideal candidate and for him, this was the perfect next step in his educational journey: “I looked around at other things but I wanted to stay with Rockley – it was a brilliant opportunity that was a little bit too good to pass up. It’s given me another year to gain further experience and qualifications. It felt like a no-brainer.”
When asked why Sam was selected for the Rockley Apprenticeship, Head of Education, Clare Hicks said:
Following the apprenticeship, Sam has plans to “see the world and get paid doing it. Australia has always appealed. I’ll stay within the industry 100%.” He’s also keen to gain further qualifications including his RYA Multi-Hull Instructor course and Coastal Yacht Master, identifying the fact that the more qualified you are, the more appealing you are to prospective employers. “The more qualifications you have, the better. It really changes things.”