Vocational service is the essence of Rotary and serves as the foundation from which Rotarians serve their communities around the world. The aim is to guide and encourage youth in their professional development. Rotarians work with local businesses to create mentorship, internship, or practicum opportunities to help young people achieve their career goals.
To fulfil these commitments, President Peter Marsh and members of the Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya organized a vocational field trip on October 9, for 50 children from the Baan Jing Jai Children’s Home in Pattaya to the PMG Shipyard in Rayong.
On arrival the visitors were greeted by Philippe Guenat, managing director, and his team, including Caroline Leib (Oversea Sales & Marketing), Dean Thompson (Special Project Manager), Phansak Ruangrat (Production Manager), Vinussarin Pratumchat (Thai Administration Manager), and Weerayut Pantsuk (Thai Project Manager).
Before taking the children and Rotarians on a tour of the facilities, Philippe gave a short introduction, “PMG Shipyard was first established in 2004 as a private company with Swiss ownership & management. We possess a strong European presence in management and key technical positions with world-renowned members of the advisory board such as NASA astronaut Michael Lopez, Alegria and Raphael Domjan, who is the founder of Planet Solar, allowing us to develop technically advanced, stylish, practical, economical and safe yachts.
“Initially, our reputation was built on the production of small leisure yachts. Soon, the word spread about the excellent craftmanship of our tailor-made commercial vessels and moderately sized catamarans, ideal for day trips. PMG Shipyard has continued to expand over the last years to be able to fulfil an ever-growing demand for luxury yachts from our partners and customers. The yard now has a 20,800 sqm facility in Rayong, with dedicated areas for each of the production process during the construction.”
The children showed tremendous interest in the yacht building process as they were guided from one line of production to the next. They observed the various stages of production and were also given a chance to try their hand at some of the work being done.
At the end of the tour, Philippe hosted lunch by the sea where he spoke to the children. “Besides its core business of building boats, PMG Shipyard is dedicated in the transmission of its know-how. Expertise in the business can only be acquired through being in constant contact with specialists in the field and total immersion in a fully equipped environment exclusively focused on its activity. When you reached the age of 18, you are welcome to come to work for our company. We will provide you with professional training, lodgings and board.”
Philippe said that under the supervision of the Production Manager and the assistance of the heads of the various departments within the company, the students can practice the on-going realizations in the shipyard to complete several of the internships throughout their studies.
President Peter Marsh thanked Philippe who is a long-standing member of the Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya adding, “Congratulations and thanks to everyone involved with our visit to PMG Shipyard at Rayong. We thank Philippe and his very capable team for a fascinating tour of all the areas of his organization. Philippe’s team showed the large group of chosen children around the shipyard, describing the various operations in the Thai language, while he himself was our English language guide.
“This was our aim for the day, to secure a future for these children, and thanks to our host we succeeded more than we hoped. Thank you all for taking part in this wonderful event.”
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