A bigger, busier Wooden Boat Stage returns to the Southampton International Boat Show (SIBS) this month, with a single goal: getting young people into wooden boatbuilding yards.
Now in its second year, the stage has a larger presence and a clear mission, to inspire the next generation of boatbuilders and demonstrate that traditional wooden boatbuilding offers a rewarding and creative career. The programme runs daily with demonstrations, practical sessions, talks and panel discussions, with a particular focus on introducing young people to the skills, people and career opportunities within the industry.
Belinda Joslin, founder of Women in Boat Building, put it plainly.
"We want to make wooden boatbuilding accessible to young people. We want to make it a visible career, with clearly signposted pathways, and we want young people to know that they are wanted, welcome and needed in traditional wooden boatbuilding yards, colleges, and apprenticeships. We have some amazing young role models on the stage throughout the show, talking about their training and their jobs, and showing that boatbuilding is a viable career choice."
A key feature of this year's programme is the 'Routes into the Industry' panel on Thursday 24 September at 3pm, hosted by Katy Stickland, editor of Practical Boat Owner. Four young people working in the industry will join her, each representing a different route into boatbuilding and the wider marine sector: Bonny Brookes, a self-trained marine electrician, Brenden George, who trained at the Boat Building Academy and now works at Spirit Yachts, Ela Keegan, learning on the job at Hunter's Yard, and Jenisha Mistry, a second-year boatbuilding apprentice at Berthon. Together they will share their experiences, discuss the different pathways available and offer advice to young people considering a career in the marine industry.
The Boat Building Academy (BBA) will deliver career-focused talks at 2pm on Saturday 19 September and 11am on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 September. BBA tutors and graduates will also appear on the stage throughout the show, sharing their experiences and outlining the range of opportunities available after completing specialist training.
On Thursday 24 September at 2pm, Pioneer Sailing Trust will present a talk with Felicity Scully focusing on the Level 3 Heritage Engineer Marine Technician Apprenticeship. The apprenticeship is currently the only one of its kind in the UK and has government funding in place until 2029.
On Tuesday 22 September at 3pm, Ela from Hunter's Yard will host 'How UK yards are working with schools to inspire a new generation.' The panel brings together representatives from the Boat Building Academy, Woodbridge Riverside Trust and Spirit Yachts, organisations that have all established successful schools' programmes with local schools, to explore how boatbuilding businesses can work with schools and the national curriculum to introduce students to practical skills, boatbuilding and the wider marine sector. The aim is to encourage more boatyards and marine organisations to develop grassroots schools' programmes in their own communities.
A new Model Boat Workshop will give younger visitors the chance to get hands-on and make their first wooden boat. Participants will glue, join, rig and decorate their own gaff cutter, complete with handmade sails supplied by East Coast Sailmakers. The activity will run in the Wooden Boat Stage tent at weekends.
The Wooden Boat Stage is created and delivered through the collaborative efforts of the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis, the Wooden Boatbuilders' Trade Association and Women in Boat Building.
Will Reed, director of the Boat Building Academy, said educational partnerships and accessible expert training are key to the future of the industry.
"Educational partnerships and accessible expert training are key to the future preservation and success of the boatbuilding industry, enabling young people with creative talents to access a wealth of fulfilling careers, and organisations such as the BBA to continue to provide talented boatbuilders and associated craftspeople to our boatyards and businesses. The BBA has already welcomed 160 schoolchildren through its doors for courses and visits and is building rewarding partnerships with local schools. This is especially pertinent now as the country struggles with a rising number of young people not in education or training, many of whom would undoubtedly excel in the highly practical and creative marine sector."
