Month: August 2023

Duke Voyagers Shipyard have chosen Barclays Eagle Labs at Discovery Park, Sandwich for their new office space.

Being based amongst like minded entrepreneurs and innovators is the perfect environment to develop our business plans.

The recreational boat and yacht industry generates yearly revenue of over £1billion and despite any financial fears, it has the fastest economic growth within UK manufacturing (Ibis world 2022).

As a start-up, the management team at Duke Voyagers Shipyard found itself part of this map, and thought about how to achieve their core mission statement:  …. “to contribute to a shared sustainable future” ….and what that might look like.

What came out of this reflective learning was that in order to effectively deliver these ambitions to the wider community and stakeholders, all aspects of their culture would need to reflect those core values and shared environmental concerns, about climate security and risk.

Importantly,  how does Duke Voyager Shipyard operate as an employer to build a ground up company – and with growth that starts with their employees?

For any long-term growth they aspire to in creating net zero innovation in the maritime sector they need a talented and committed staff team.  Otherwise they couldn’t operate.

So how can they demonstrate their commitment to staff and uphold values for change that would be agile, innovative and build their brand and ideals.

Looking towards the future, DVS embraces the talent and freshness of those who are still learning. As an SME, innovation is their guiding star.  They find new ways to grow where incumbent companies can’t, or won’t, consider.

DVS decided to base themselves where innovation and new ideas are being generated and incubated, and where knowledge is shared. They consider that this sort of educational environment offers a pathway to growth and learning.  They have also sought to build partnerships with universities in order to co-produce work through their talent pools and internship programmes.

With the rise of AI, DVS can see how technology doesn’t progress in a linear way. It happens exponentially. They can also see that the maritime industry is responding and moving along on the same tide as the industry begins to embrace the opportunities that technology presents. 

Like many startups, DVS operates on a tight budget.  Hiring full-time employees is costly but by co-working within a Higher Education framework, they have opened up opportunities. They looked to innovative ways to source talent. They have created partnerships with UEL Career Zone, as well as the University of Kent and Teeside University.  In this way they’ve been able to access funding and support to grow their company. 

The benefit of such partnerships to small companies is clear – and works both ways.   The universities’ measurable and timebound Intern Schemes provide an affordable alternative to hiring staff for new companies, whilst providing valuable and creative workplace opportunities for students. Certainly, Interns were excited to be part of the DVS staff team, knowing that their ideas would not only be valued, but would collectively help to build a shared future through collaboration.

Harnessing the winds of change, DVS looked to build awareness of their business across social media platforms and took on a copywriter from UEL.  They brought not only technical knowledge, but a vibrant voice to reach new audiences and access new channels and networks to share and grow net zero awareness.

For their intern, Francine Curran, the journey as an employee was a two-fold experience. She immediately felt valued and “was welcomed into a warm and supportive environment, where the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally was prioritised.”

Here it is clear to see the value of a shared common goal and how it’s the underlying values on sustainable living for all, which underpins the core ethics played out in a real world scenario.

Working alongside an educational environment also helped broaden DVS’s knowledge base and offered the opportunity to scale up their model by working with international students who brought the global viewpoint.  This is something that is not usually experienced by small SME’s on their projects.

In the 18 months since its inception DVS has continued to grow, nurture new talent, and incubate fresh ideas in sustainability and maritime innovation. The knowledge gained from the University of Kent built new models of understanding about processes of production and alternatives to traditional maritime construction methods.

Speaking to the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, CEO Tony Duke commented that “it’s clear that interns provided the company with a wealth of benefits. They brought fresh ideas that opened us up to innovation and new platforms of online engagement and digital interaction. In return the interns learned valuable lessons for future job roles.

In conclusion, it’s clear that innovation across industry can work hand in hand with innovation in office culture – and is essential for growth and resilience. It starts with communication of ideas, a willingness to chart unknown waters, navigate new horizons and recruit like minded individuals willing to join the adventure and be part of the journey.

As a small company, Duke Voyager Shipyard works towards building sustainable shipping but they can see that their contribution also forms part of a bigger map of like-minded companies across all industries of land, air and sea that are coming together to be part of this new world.  With new growth comes new life and rebirth for our planet and our citizens.

https://www.ibisworld.com/united-kingdom/market-size/recreational-boat-yacht-building/

https://www.kentinvictachamber.co.uk/members-blog/internships-tapping-into-potential/