AN SOS has gone out to young people to join the booming boat building industry in the south.

It comes from the industry's training body as new figures show that leisure boating revenues in the region have jumped by over 400 per cent to a staggering £600m a year.

But while more people are now messing about in boats, not enough youngsters are joining the industry which is now employing more than 8,000 people on the south and east coasts.

Emta Awards, the qualification arm of the national training authority for engineering manufacturing is launching a new boat building qualification this autumn to attract more youngsters into the profession.

It covers boat building, outfitting and boat maintenance and covers all craft from humble rowing boats to ocean going yachts.

Elizabeth Bonfield, head of Emta said: "This is now a £1.5bn a year industry employing 25,000 people nation-wide. We don't think enough young people realise just how big it is and what marvellous opportunities there are.''