Life on board brings about distinct conditions and standards. Focusing on pace and the specificity of yachting, Hill Robinson’s Crew Services have launched a crew training platform of on-demand courses designed for working crew, Academy Online.
With a formal launch at the 2026 Palma boat show, the platform covers every major department from culinary skills and regional cuisines to housekeeping and tablesetting to team building and mental health first aid — across more than 1,500 learning modules with packages starting at €50.
“We kept hearing the same thing: crew want training that reflects real life on board — not generic hospitality content,” says Laura Henighen, head of Academy. “So, we built a platform around their world, their roles, and the pace they live and work at.”
The team designed the Academy content on the patterns they observed working directly with crew — gaps in communication, feedback, professionalism and leadership behaviors — and topics that make a difference day-to-day on board.
“The content itself is a mix of our own material designed and developed by us over the years, combined with input from small and medium enterprises and operational insights from within Hill Robinson,” Henighen says. “We’ve structured everything into short, bite-sized modules so it’s not too theory-heavy, and focused on giving crew the tools they can use immediately.”
For vessels between 40 and 100 meters, typically about five to ten percent of yearly spend is on crew, but retention wavers when recruitment, employment, and training operate independently. When they operate as a connected program, Hill Robinson’s fleet data shows 30 percent lower crew turnover on those vessels.
"Hiring is one thing. Employment is another. But without structured access to training informed by the vessel's actual needs, the investment rarely sticks," said Glyn Barker, head of Crew Services. "Academy Online is how we make that possible — not just for the yachts we manage, but for the wider industry."
Each course is broken down into about 5- to 15-minute modules, so crew can work through them at their own pace, which was a priority when building the platform. When crew first register, they have 30 days to choose a course; their account will deactivate after this timeframe. When crew purchase a course, they will have access to it for 12 months. But if they buy another package, the 12 months start again and they won’t lose access to the original course — allowing them to build a library of content and drive momentum with the time-limited access.
Crew across their managed fleet have already completed over 44,000 courses — describing the curriculum as relevant, realistic, and well-tailored to industry needs — and reported stronger communication as a result of team-based courses.
It is part of a larger training ecosystem that includes in-person sessions and bespoke modules developed for clients. Crew can purchase their first package at a 20 percent discount until the end of May.