“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.”
Sir Isaac Newton 1675
Founded by AYB in 2010, our aim as an educational establishment in the UK is to provide Yacht Brokers in the United Kingdom with similar opportunities to yacht brokers in the United States, who can study and prove their grasp of core knowledge essential to their profession.
CPYB training in the UK is not restricted to experienced yacht brokers but is open to men and women of all ages from all nations (in the English language) online . The final examination can also be taken by anyone who has completed the course, but Certification requires completion of three years experience as a Yacht Broker.
(DISCLAIMER:- CPYB in the UK is not connected with CPYB in the USA and does not exist or operate in the USA CPYB in the United States clearly identify theirs as a NATIONAL, not international, program leaving a clear need which is now provided for, based in the UK.)
The Historical Example and Inspiration
The USA organisation CPYB (www.cpyb.net) has established their National Yacht Broker Certification program; a joint effort of the Yacht Brokers Association of America (YBAA, Annapolis, MD), the Florida Yacht Brokers Association (FYBA, Ft. Lauderdale, FL) California Yacht Brokers Associate, Ontario Yacht Brokers Association and the Northwest Yacht Brokers Association (NYBA, Seattle, WA).
“In development since 1999, the yacht broker certification project objective has been to set a performance baseline for professional yacht brokers nationwide. A program ‘Design Team’ of volunteers from the three associations worked with the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute to define the industry Body of Knowledge, which lists the key areas of performance skills and knowledge required to be a professional yacht broker. The team then crafted a certification exam, comprised of 151 questions, designed to be an objective measurement of a broker’s knowledge.
“The process of determining the essential skills that a professional yacht broker needs to have was daunting,” stated Vincent Petrella, president of Hellier Yacht Sales, new London, CT and chairman of the multi-year effort. “This has never been done before, and it was both a challenge and an honor for our volunteer team to be involved in this project. I firmly believe that our efforts will result in raising the bar of performance for the yacht brokerage profession, and will greatly enhance our credibility in the minds of the boating public.”
As in many other industries, performance standards, professional training and recognition are essential tools for ensuring that the industry encourages and maintains aggressive performance goals and sound business practices. YBAA, FYBA, NYBA, CYBA and OYBA each have had in place, for many years, association mandated codes of ethics, which provide the minimum standards for ethical broker performance and which are mandatory for all brokers who desire membership in the organizations. The Yacht Broker Certification Program takes this process to a new level, providing a comprehensive method for qualifying eligible brokers who have the necessary experience, skills and know-how to be recognized as a Certified Professional Yacht Broker – CPYB.
In addition to defining the industry Body of Knowledge and creating the CPYB exam, the newly expanded Certification Advisory Council will work over the next few years to identify and develop training and education resources that will assist applicants, as well as developing new training seminars and resources that will form the basis of a yacht broker education program.”(quoted under “Fair-use”* from www.cpyb.net)
THE WAY FORWARD in these early days for CPYB in the UK.
Following the example from the USA above, AYB (Associated Yacht Brokers) originally decided to launch CPYB in the UK in early June 2010, with a “Graduate Founder” program, open only to those UK Brokers who are already outstanding in their education and other ways relating to Yacht Brokerage.
Graduate Founders were to retain this privileged status for as long as they remained as members in good standing, enjoying special recognition and permanent discounts, potentially for life.
In this way it was hoped the initial members would be the best qualified to examine the initial course material and examinations. By their feedback future members should benefit and the highest possible standards be achieved.Shortly after this was announced, other UK organisations, apparently recognising that a real need had been identified, rushed to emulate AYB’s CPYB in the UK and offered a “Grandfather” option for a newly invented certification programme that didn’t yet exist.
Unlike the CPYB “Graduate Founder” option,this did not require a high level of education but it did serve to highlight the fact that the whole original idea of “Graduate Founders” by CPYB was in fact flawed.
True Professional Certification has to be seen to be earned by study AND examination on a level playing field (Just as it is in the CPYB in the USA) for the certificate to have real value.
The old UK Broker industry habit of giving away certificates willy nilly to anyone who pays for and merely attends a one or two day course has to change. CPYB in the UK is determined to continue to lead the way for the rest of the UK Industry to follow
So from now on, the rules are as follows.
(the rest of the industry are encouraged to continue to read and to emulate) There are NO “Graduate Founders”.
Any practising Broker may become an Affiliate. Demonstrating their intention to study and aspiration to become certified. Successful completion of the Foundation Course exam will upgrade the candidates status to Certified.
Final exams will earn the title “Graduate”Eventually there may be room for further recognition to be awarded for further achievements.
CPYB training in the UK (unlike in USA) is not restricted to experienced yacht brokers but is open to all ages from all nations (in the English language) online .
* Fair use under United States law
The legal concept of “Test copyright” was first ratified by the Kingdom of Great Britain’s Statute of Anne of 1709. As room was not made for the authorized reproduction of copyrighted content within this newly formulated statutory right, the courts created a doctrine of “fair abridgment” in Gyles v Wilcox, which eventually evolved into the modern concept of “fair use,” that recognized the utility of such actions. The doctrine only existed in the U.S. as common law until it was incorporated into the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 107. (quoted under “Fair Use” from Wikipedia)