Trinity House ASTO Career Development Bursary

The Trinity House ASTO Career Development Bursary supports the career development of staff and volunteers working with ASTO member organisation to deliver sail training, who wish to become qualified as mates or skippers or to increase their current qualifications.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Be a British citizen (including the Isle of Man and Channel Islands) or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland.
• Have sail training experience and intend to continue a career working in UK sail training.
• Have gained the qualifying sea time required for the qualification by the time the course takes place.

Applicants will usually need to hold a minimum of the RYA Day Skipper practical qualification before being considered for a bursary.

Full eligibility criteria are available in the Application Guidance Notes (PDF).

The courses requested should form part of a recognised career progression and enable applicants to achieve the next appropriate level of qualification, developing their overall skills and ability.

Applicants should select all the courses required to achieve the qualification level they are applying for.

Funding is not available for qualification updates or instructional qualifications.

Before selecting courses, applicants should check the relevant guidance:

• RYA Yachtmaster Scheme Syllabus and Logbook (G158)
• MGN 280 and The Sport or Pleasure Vessel Code, Appendix 5: Safe Manning
• MSN 1858 (M+F) for yachts over 24 metres

All applications must be endorsed by an ASTO member organisation.

Each ASTO member organisation has a named sponsor. Applicants must discuss their application with the relevant sponsor before submitting it.

Together, the applicant and sponsor should consider:

• the applicant’s current qualifications, skills and experience;
• the qualification they would like to work towards;
• which courses are required to achieve that qualification; and
• how the proposed training will support the applicant’s career progression within the sail training sector.

Please read the Application Guidance Notes (PDF) which provide further information about the endorsement process and include the named sponsor for each ASTO member organisation.

ASTO will review submitted applications against the eligibility criteria and contact the named sponsor at the relevant member organisation to confirm their endorsement. References will then be requested for applications that progress to the next stage.

Interview dates and times are released in September, when successful applicants will be invited to book a suitable interview slot online. Interviews take place between October and February.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome within 14 days of the final interview panel. 

Successful applicants will then be sent an Acknowledgement of Award and Agreement to Terms form, which must be returned within 14 days. Once this has been completed, awardees will be notified that they can book their courses.