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Boathouse 5 our temporary home. We are on your right as you enter the Dockyard opposite Warrior.
- Boathouse 5 our temporary home. We are on your right as you enter the Dockyard opposite Warrior.
IBTC Building better boatbuilders in Suffolk and in the Historic Dockyard Portsmouth.
Enroll now for courses, with start dates in July 2015, September 2015 and January and April 2016. Contact email hidden; JavaScript is required tel: 023 9289 3323 for further information.
IBTC Portsmouth is a registered charity no. 1152360 see our “support us” pages for how you might become involved.
Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust (PNBPT) is delighted to have received a grant of £3.75m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for its Boat building & Heritage Skills Training Centre project.
The project, which focuses on preserving and celebrating valuable traditional skills, will be delivered by PNBPT and the IBTC Portsmouth, the new, south coast branch of the long established International Boatbuilding Training College, specialists in traditional boatbuilding training.
We now have an office and workshop in Boat House 5 where you will find Nat Wilson if you have any queries. Tel: 023 9289 3323. Email us at email hidden; JavaScript is required and we can send out course information by email or post whichever you prefer.
We will be visiting various boatshow over the summer if you want to discuss your training requirements.
We will note on our news page as each event nears. However if you want to see our original training set up, do visit IBTC Lowestoft. www.ibtc.co.uk
Boathouse 4, an iconic building within the Historic Dockyard constructed during the massive 1930’s rearmament period, will be restored and opened to the public as the Boatbuilding & Heritage Skills Training Centre. The Boathouse will become a Centre of Excellence for boatbuilding training, with IBTC Portsmouth and Highbury College delivering practical, intensive courses in traditional boatbuilding and related skills. The Centre will provide annual Heritage Bursaries, offering local people currently unemployed or disengaged with education the opportunity to undertake one year’s full time traditional boatbuilding training, leading to a City and Guilds qualification and an IBTC Portsmouth Diploma. Graduates will leave the Centre with valuable boatbuilding and engineering skills, enabling them to develop careers in the broader heritage and marine sectors.
The Centre will also offer many opportunities for people to get involved with and learn about our maritime heritage, including short courses and family weekend programmes, sessions with local schools, a summer festival, and an extended volunteer scheme offering mentoring and skills training.
Visitors will be able to watch traditional boatbuilding in action as well as enjoy fun, tactile and engaging exhibitions on the building and the fascinating story of small boats in the British Navy, including the display of several small craft from the Trust’s own collection. The Centre, based in the very boathouse used during World War 2 to construct the secret three man midget X-Craft submarine, will be the perfect setting for visitors to discover the astonishing history of small boats in the Navy, from Captain Bligh cast off the Bounty in a 23ft launch to Ernest Shackleton’s legendary voyage to South Georgia in the James Caird.
Peter Goodship, PNBPT Consultant Chief Executive said: “The Heritage Lottery Fund grant will increase diversification in the Historic Dockyard, leading to meaningful community engagement and greatly enhanced prospects of employment for those taking the training courses. It is also significant that Boathouse 4 will be used for the purpose for which it was originally built, bringing alive part of the civilian story of the Dockyard, as well as giving a new slant on the history of the Royal Navy.”
Stuart McLeod, Head of HLF South East, said: “This is a great opportunity to provide in demand and popular heritage skills training. The project will recreate the industrial past of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard’s impressive cathedral-sized boathouse which was so crucial for rearmament on the South coast during World War Two. We are passionate about helping people learn new skills so our great maritime heritage can be enjoyed and maintained for the future.”
As well as securing the future of Boathouse 4, the skills training opportunities delivered within this project will help to create the next generation of craftsmen to preserve iconic ships such as HMS Victory and HMS Warrior. IBTC Portsmouth students will spend part of their course at the Shipwright’s School to be established at the historic shipbuilding village of Buckler’s Hard on the Beaulieu River, enabling them to further develop the skills required for the construction and restoration of larger vessels.
IBTC building boatbuilders, conserving vessels, re skilling, career changing and development, all within the amazing BH4 environment. classic yachts, wooden boats, craftsmanship.
The project has also received £479,000 from the Regional Growth Fund, a Government initiative supporting large projects with the potential to create long-term private sector jobs, as part of a £1.3m award towards PNBPT projects.
Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)
Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) aims to make a lasting difference for heritage, people and communities across the UK and help build a resilient heritage economy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported almost 35,000 projects with more than £5.6bn across the UK. www.hlf.org.uk. For more information, please contact James Steward, HLF press office, on tel: 020 7591 6056/07973 613820.
For information on the IBTC and training courses please contact: Nat Wilson CEO email hidden; JavaScript is required
