International Boatbuilding Training College

Perched on the edge of the Broads National Park, the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC) is an ideal location in which to discover the craft of boatbuilding.
The college sits on the northern shore of Lake Lothing, the tidal reach of the River Waveney, and offers a variety of boatbuilding, woodworking and boat maintenance courses suitable for those looking for a career in the industry as well as anyone wanting to develop new – or improve their existing – skills.
The main feature of the college’s curriculum is a full-time Boatbuilding course which takes place over 47 weeks and covers in comprehensive detail the skills required to build and maintain boats. In line with IBTC’s ethos that the most effective learning happens through practical application, students work on a wide range of boatbuilding projects under the expert supervision of knowledgeable instructors in the college’s working boatyard – such an approach is clearly proving effective, with a 100% employment rate for 2021 and 2022 Boatbuilding course graduates.
Students not able to make the commitment to a full-time course can choose from a range of shorter offerings in joinery, woodcarving and other essential skills that can be used at home or in the boatyard. The Introduction to Woodworking short course covers areas such as hand tool use and maintenance; timber preparation; sawing and chiselling; halving joints; mortise and tenons; and the use of adhesives. Upon completion, it’s common for students to then enrol on either a 12-week Woodworking and Joinery Skills course or the 47-week Boatbuilding course – the Introduction to Woodworking course fee can be used as a deposit for either.
As the marine world becomes less male-dominated, IBTC has seen an increase in female students – many talented women are currently studying at the college and a number of graduates have gone on to build successful careers within the industry.
Lyn Tupper became Co-Director of IBTC in 2015 and says: “I’ve found it really encouraging to see more women realising that they want to be part of the boatbuilding industry, and that the support is there for them to do so.”
So what’s next for IBTC? Following completion of the Broads cruiser Welcome, students are putting the final touches on its sister boat Winsome. With a combined 21 years of work, the restoration project is rich with local and national history: the cruisers were previously hired by Arthur Ransome and sailed on the Broads by the author during the pre-war period. The Broads, of course, would go on to have a significant impact on Ransome’s writing, featuring in two books in his Swallows & Amazons series. With several generations of IBTC students having worked under supervision on both boats’ restoration, the end results are testament to the high quality of skills taught at the college.
Open Days give the public the chance to take a guided tour of the college and to meet its instructors and students – there’s one scheduled for the end of July this year; book and find other information about IBTC at www.ibtc.co.uk.