Introduction
Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) is an exclusive group of wealthy individuals located across the globe, each with a net worth above $30m. During the Covid-19 lockdown period, the world saw a rise of self-made millionaires and the super-rich as they benefitted from skyrocketing house prices and thriving stock markets. Although there is a slight decrease in the UHNW population post-Covid, the superyacht industry has financially benefited from the last 2-years. During the height of Covid times, the yachting industry grew in demand as the industry can offer isolation and solitude that many other forms of travel could not compete with.
UHNW Lifestyle
Outsiders would be surprised to learn that the UHNW population seek “noble purpose” in their lives… People within this tax bracket are often highly educated individuals that embody high levels of emotional intelligence and generosity and expect these attributes to be adopted by their children. Family and friendships are at the top of UHNW’s priorities, and they often value relationships more now than ever.
The population highly values security. As previously mentioned, UHNW individuals cherish their loved ones dearly and wish to guarantee they are protected at all costs. Once again, UHNWs are “embracing the gated community and private club model,” including superyachts filled with “familiar people”.
“The pandemic made private, protected environments such as villas, farms, ranches, islands, jets, and yachts the most favoured spaces, and UHNWs have continued to enjoy them.” – Cision, 2022.
Security on Superyachts
The superyacht industry strives for top security and high customer service above everything else. Onboard the yacht, there are many devices and technology built to protect the guests onboard, including acoustic devices, detection devices, anti-drone protection, cloaking systems, escape rooms, lockdown systems, surveillance and other systems set in place. The question is, why do we let the yacht recruitment process stay stagnant when everything else is advancing towards being secure as possible?
Pre-employment screening is common practice in most industries. Background-checking staff is an excellent way of protecting vulnerable groups onboard with whom crew interact on a one-to-one basis. Simple reference checks are not sufficient to fully comprehend a candidate’s suitability. It is so easy for crew members to embellish their CV and references as the resources tend to be unreliable and taken at face value alone. Furthermore, these checks need to be more extensive regarding the crew member’s life before yachting.
“Comprehensive employment background checks have a wide range of benefits such as reducing workplace violence, increasing applicant quality, reducing the loss of employees due to dishonesty, hiring the right candidate, and avoiding company losses and negative publicity.” –Simpliverfied, 2019.
The solution to safer recruitment
CrewPass was created to specifically benefit the superyacht industry, unlike other more generic background-checking companies. We cater our checks to the yachting industry to provide a more bespoke service to satisfy yacht crew, recruiters and clients.
For Crew– The yachting industry is highly saturated with green crew aspiring to work onboard. When crew leave their training providers, they leave with the same qualifications, little/no work experience on yachts and similar attributes presented on their CVs. It is hard for crew to stand out from the crowd with so much competition, and this is where CrewPass comes in… The “Approved” accreditation is another certificate crew can add to their CV. When crew let employers know they are CrewPass Approved, they notify them that you have passed CrewPass’ comprehensive criminal checks and ID verification, letting them know that they are safe to place onboard. No longer will crew have to undergo a check every time they apply for a job via an agency as the CrewPass Approved accreditation is valid for 2-years. Crew can even validate their “Approved” status on most crew agencies and job boards internationally. CrewPass is a sought out for accreditation and is recognised by the leading industry professionals. The background checking company allows crew to prove to employers that they are more suitable candidates than unchecked crew members.
For Vessels– As previously mentioned, yacht owners and guests always appreciate top security onboard. CrewPass improves safety onboard by minimising potential threats and risks that could occur with non-vetted crew members. Assets are also valuable and sometimes priceless to owners, so only the safest crew members must be allowed to step foot onboard. Any conflict, violence, theft etc., can damage a vessel’s reputation. Captains can feel confident that the crew placed to look after said guests are thoroughly checked and are suitable to give excellent service. Crew that go through CrewPass checks will undergo searches, including global sanctions lists, criminal records, watch lists, certificate authenticity validation and ID checks. There are options for vessels to pay to get every crew member checked before they get placed onboard or choose to search for already CrewPass Approved crew.
For Agencies – Crew recruitment agencies strive to place the best candidates onboard. By doing this, agencies have seen the need for CrewPass as the company takes on the time-consuming admin work from the vetting crew and handles the checking process for them. Not only does CrewPass enable agencies to place fully vetted crew, it also means they can reduce the risk of the dangerous crew being placed with other crew members. Recently, many crew members have spoken out about unsafe living arrangements with threatening crew with secret criminal records that never got flagged up in the recruitment process. CrewPass can ensure that all crew who go through their checks are secure. By crew being CrewPass Approved before reaching the agencies crew members can be placed almost immediately, cutting out unnecessary time.
For just £9.99 p/m (2-year term) crew can get one of the most comprehensive global criminal background checks on the market, ID verification, CrewPass Approved accreditation and status updates on the app. If an agency or a vessel wishes to verify their crew and get checks conducted on crew members, they can pay a one-off fee of £200 per crew member. If you wish to conduct checks on your crew, please contact us!