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Mechanical draughting/designing: in need of advice!

Hi all.

I would like to be a mechanical draughter. My family own a boat repair and manufacturing company, and my intention is to work for the business after my studies and perhaps a year or two in industry to gain experience.

However, mechanical draughting courses appear to be thin on the ground. I have looked both in the UK and overseas, with nothing concrete in my search.

I found this in the US (and similar at other American universities): http://www.anokatech.edu/ProgramsCourses/EngManufTech/MechanicalDraftingDesign.aspx

It looks good, but I have been advised that a degree is unnecessary and a waste of money and time, and was directed towards courses such as a certificate, NVQ, diploma, or apprenticeship offered by institutions such as City & Guilds.

I have no objection to skipping a degree (or taking a US two-year associate degree rather than a bachelor's) if it is unneeded. My main concern is that the CAD courses I have found vary from a few days to a few weeks long, and that doesn't instinctively feel long or in-depth enough.

My job in the family business would involve making calculations, design-related decisions, ensuring the boat can float, and considering length, width, and so on. I don't get the impression from the 'lesser' qualifications that focus on CAD operation that there is enough breadth in content for me to do what I want to do.

At the same time, I don't want to be too restricted to the marine industry, hence my initial search for a broad(ish) mechanical draughting/design course with a view of working in industry before returning to the family fold (and generally being able to keep my career options open).

In light of this, I have been advised to look for engineering technician courses, but that seems to be veering a bit too far from the draughting/design focus I want.

Surprisingly, my searches have been fruitless or with limited result in places for the UK and Europe. I had expected to find more in Germany, if anything, given its excellent reputation for provision of technical education.

Am I being too unrealistic somewhere? I am trying (and struggling!) to find the right balance between depth, breadth, specialism, practicability, and theory — and whether I should be considering university study at all.

Any and all advice would be welcome.
Not sure if you will read this but my 2c is that a degree is useless for practical mechanical engineering skills and employability (in areas such as design/analysis/drafting). College courses and apprenticeships etc are the way to go.

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