Classic Boat February 2014

Page 5

CORTUSEY OF IBTC

FROM DAN HOUSTON, EDITOR

Courses for the craftsmen

classicboat.co.uk Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TQ EDITORIAL Editor Dan Houston +44 (0)207 349 3755 cb@classicboat.co.uk Acting Deputy Editor Steffan Meyric Hughes +44 (0)207 349 3758 steffan.meyric-hughes@classicboat.co.uk Senior Art Editor Peter Smith +44 (0)207 349 3756 peter.smith@classicboat.co.uk Production Editor Andrew Gillingwater +44 (0)207 349 3757 andrew.gillingwater@classicboat.co.uk Contributing Editor Peter Willis peter.willis@classicboat.co.uk Technical Editor Theo Rye Publishing Consultant Martin Nott Proofing Vanessa Bird ADVERTISING Advertisement Manager Edward Mannering +44 (0)207 349 3747 edward.mannering@chelseamagazines.com Senior Sales Executive Patricia Hubbard +44 (0)207 349 3748 patricia.hubbard@chelseamagazines.com Advertisement Production Allpointsmedia +44 (0)1202 472781 allpointsmedia.co.uk Published Monthly ISSN: 0950 3315 USA US$12.50 Canada C$11.95 Australia A$11.95 Subscribe now: +44 (0)1795 419840 classicboat@servicehelpline.co.uk http://classicboat.subscribeonline.co.uk Subscriptions manager William Delmont +44 (0)207 349 3710 will.delmont@chelseamagazines.com Subscriptions Department 800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8GU Managing Director Paul Dobson CHELSEA Deputy Managing Director Steve Ross ARINE M MAGAZINES Commercial Director Vicki Gavin Publisher Simon Temlett Digital Manager Oliver Morley-Norris Events Manager Holly Thacker The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TQ +44 (0)207 349 3700 chelseamagazines.com Copyright The Chelsea Magazine Company 2013 all rights reserved

The disclosure that the Skills Funding Agency intends to stop paying for boatbuilding courses and other training comes as a bit of a downer at the end of the year. The news – see our report on p14 by the way – conveys the sense of yet something else collapsing in the funding gloom of post 2007-bank-crash Britain. But the two-year courses, at places like MITEC in Pembrokeshire, Falmouth Marine School and Lowestoft College (not IBTC), boast good records in helping students find employment at the end of their time. Typically they teach a range of skills which enable trainees to get into restoration work, as well as wooden boatbuilding, from scratch. These courses are very different from the other well-known courses in boatbuilding run by the likes of the Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy and the International Boatbuilding Training College. And the crucial difference is funding. For young people the idea of getting hugely saddled with debt is onerous and it seems a very retrograde step to be taking, especially when these courses do turn out people who are equipped for something a bit more real YACHTS than the call centre. No offence is meant to CHELSEA “We still really MARINE anyone who works in one of those places but they do seem indicative of our non-aspirational service need to train culture where almost everything we use (or wear) skilled people” seems to come from the far east. Making wooden boats and repairing them is a valued skill that needs no argument to verify. YACHTS It’s not certain that the apprenticeship scheme, which agreeably is a very CHELSEA MARINE positive contribution to the skill base, is going to fill the gap. In tough economic times apprentices are often first to go – these threatened two-year college courses at least provide a skill level that can set the young boatbuilder on his way. And we are mainly talking about young people here, people who might want a lifetime in the trade, and a chance to become true masters of their craft. Because, let’s face it, some of the boatbuilding courses are for the downshifter, leaving a city job with mortgage paid and kids having left, a kind of Hugh Fearnley-Boatbuilder if you will... and no doubt a good chap. But a true craftsman in the old sense? We still really need to train skilled people like that. YACHTING

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