Lowestoft’s International Boatbuilding Training College Lowestoft (IBTC) is to close after almost 50 years of training people in the craft of traditional boatbuilding and joinery.
The company is set to enter liquidation with 11 staff being made redundant.
In a statement, co-owners Lyn and Mike Tupper said the decision to close the college doors for a final time on December 20 2024 follows a series of negative economic events alongside a continued shift in perception of what constitutes quality training in the UK.
“Unfortunately, we live in an economy that demands shortcuts, that demands cost savings at the expense of quality,” said Lyn and Mike.
“We, as a nation, are accepting mediocrity and more worryingly we are mistaking this mediocrity for quality. The national loss of skills and high-quality skills training in the artisan sector are deeply concerning.”
Economic events such as Brexit, COVID and the Ukraine war, have all had an impact on material costs and general overheads for the college.
The college has also been experiencing falling student numbers which have left it economically unviable.
“IBTC has long been recognised as the UK’s premier boatbuilding college offering the most comprehensive syllabus in traditional boatbuilding available,” said the statement.
“This has been achieved through operating a ‘true to life’ boatyard with a range of 20 plus boat projects for students to train on.”
Unfortunately, we live in an economy that demands shortcuts, that demands cost savings at the expense of quality.
Lyn and Mike Tupper
And Lyn and Mike continued to explain that the college has provided a unique training environment where the syllabus is expertly delivered by time served boatbuilders and joiners with an amassed experience of over 150 years.
Student projects have ranged from building new 9ft dinghies to building a new Folk Boat and restoration of yachts up to 40ft.
“These factors are so important in delivering quality training because learning traditional boatbuilding and joinery is about applying a good deal of skill to a wide range of technical processes,” continued Lyn and Mike.
“This broad approach of understanding as much of a subject as possible, even if it is not part of an official syllabus, results in the development of the highest quality crafts people possible.”
