A transport design graduate has become an invaluable addition to the team at Cockwell’s Boatyard in Mylor thanks to the Unlocking Cornish Potential (UCP) initiative.

After graduating with a BA honours in transport design, Henry Ward, pictured right, spent two months working on his portfolio and then took it to the Southampton and Monaco Boat Shows. It was in Southampton he met Dave Cockwell and not long after he began work at his boatyard under the UCP scheme.

Fifteen months later Henry is a permanent member of staff and has significantly increased his range of skills and experience. As well as his official design and technical support title he is also heavily involved with the company’s marketing.

“I am very happy to be working in Cornwall and would not want to be anywhere else. All the training and mentoring I received via Unlocking Cornish Potential has been fantastic,” he said.

A Combined Universities in Cornwall scheme managed by Cornwall College, UCP places graduates with businesses in Cornwall and offers support including expert mentoring for up to one year.

Since starting work at Cockwell’s in November 2011, Henry has set up an in-house design studio from scratch, started producing detailed technical drawings for the shipwrights, come up with ideas for new boat designs and worked on the design of brochures, books and other marketing material.

He is the second UCP graduate working at the boatyard. Karen Smith, who is now yard development manager, was also originally employed under UCP.

Cockwells owner and managing director, Dave Cockwell, said: “UCP is of huge importance to small companies like ours. The professional mentoring and financial incentives are really encouraging to help us employ new staff.

“Henry has been a huge asset to the company. He has expanded our drawing office capabilities and, through marketing activities and creating new designs, he has reached out to clients we may not have previously found.”

Pic caption: Henry Ward at Cockwell’s Boatyard, Mylor.