Marine Business Management is a 10-week residential course run at the UKSA's base in West Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

The syllabus covers finance, planning and control, purchasing, quality, marketing, recruitment, leadership skills, managing staff, customer service, health and safety and decision-making.

All lectures are delivered by industry experts and visiting lecturers who are specialists in the relevant fields.

The kind of people taking the courses ranges from students interested in getting into the marine industry to existing managers who want to increase their knowledge of the business side of the industry to those who have A Good Idea and want to get the commercial knowledge so they can start their own business.

Peter Kemsley, who had a successful career in engineering before attending the UKSA's MBM course, went on to set up his own corporate hospitality business based exclusively on a fleet of Redwing yachts.

"The MBM course at the UKSA is really excellent, " he said, "and was pivotal in the development of my idea and crucial to leading me in the right direction to start my marine business".

The next Marine Business Management course starts on November 13 and costs £3495, including full board accommodation. No VAT is charged because UKSA is a charity.