MP for West Dorset Edward Morello has pledged to help the Boat Building Academy (BBA) in promoting and preserving the traditional craft.
Mr Morello enjoyed a tour of the Lyme Regis academy from its founder Tim Gedge and Belinda Joslin, founder of Women in Boat Building. The Lib Dem MP, who lives in Bridport, met staff, tutors and some of the students from across the UK who are training on its latest, highly-renowned 40-week boat building course.
Tim Gedge said: “Mr Morello asked many pertinent questions about the academy and the boat building industry as a whole and seemed genuinely impressed by how many trained boat builders we provide to the nation’s biggest boatyards, as well as our work in producing beautiful and sustainable wooden boats.
“I talked him through our ongoing plans to renovate and extend the Academy, so that we can provide a base from which to continue to train even more boat builders of the future, and as he is an expert in sustainable energy, we discussed how he might advise us on such matters during the renovations.”
As part of its diversity strategy the BBA has been working with Women in Boat Building to boost the number of women entering the profession. The current 40-week course features a 50/50 gender split for the first time in its 28-year history.
Belinda Joslin introduced the MP to some of the latest female students including Sophia Harding, 18, who was able to join the course thanks to a BBA bursary.
Sophia told the MP how she had left sixth form in favour of learning a traditional trade, adding: “It’s inspiring to be part of a group who are equally passionate about learning to build wooden boats.”
Belinda said: “It was a privilege to meet Edward Morello and to be able to talk to him about the skills challenges in the industry, share the success of our diversity strategy and introduce him to some of the women on the current course. He was keen to know how he could help, which was very encouraging.
“We now look forward to continuing our conversations with him about the challenge of disposing of GRP boats at the end of their life. Women in Boatbuilding was asked to join the Shadow Board for the National Shipbuilding Office Shipbuilding Enterprise for Growth cross-industry board. So, in addition to championing diversity in boatbuilding, we have also been campaigning for government-level debate around Endangered Traditional Boatbuilding Skills.
“We hope to work with Edward Morello to find alternative ways to create meaningful conversations at government level around these critical issues facing our industry.”
