About us

Situated in the coastal town of Lowestoft, perched on the edge of The Broads the IBTC is ideally placed to promote the craft of boatbuilding. With a history of a thriving fishing industry and port spanning many centuries, the town has a rich maritime past.

The college sits on the northern shore of Lake Lothing, the tidal reach of the River Waveney, depicted in Ted Frost’s book “From Tree To Sea”, which chronicles the building of a wooden steam fishing boat.

An award-winning college, IBTC offers a variety of boatbuilding/maintenance and woodworking courses suitable for both those looking for a career in the industry as well as individuals wanting to develop existing interests and skills or develop new ones.

We believe that learning should begin by working with a variety of tools on real projects from day one. We focus on individual needs, building confidence and skills, working towards your desired goal. With students of all ages (ranging from teens to those well into retirement) and from all backgrounds, this eclectic mix helps to create a vibrant atmosphere, where individuals can share their skills, experiences and dreams. One of our current young students is following in the footsteps of his grandfather who took the college’s first ever course 40 years ago back in 1975, whilst another older recruit is a retired dentist wishing to learn the skills necessary to build his own Folkboat.

Whatever their backgrounds, one thing is certain, our students work together to make the IBTC a friendly and creative centre of excellence. In the words of a former trainee, learning new skills at the IBTC, “Was the best year of my life!”

What we can offer you

Boatbuilding - Full time courses

Don’t Just Learn to Build a Boat. Learn to be a Boatbuilder.

Our award-winning boatbuilding course covers the skills required to build and maintain boats. With an emphasis on learning through practical application of skills you will work on a wide range of boatbuilding projects, under the expert supervision of our knowledgeable instructors in our working boatyard. Upon successful completion you will be awarded the internationally recognised and coveted IBTC Diploma in boatbuilding along with City and Guilds 2473 level 3.

Bursaries of up to 50% are now open for UK citizens between the ages 18 to 40. To apply please fill in our bursary form.

Short Courses:

There are also a number of short courses available at the IBTC.

Follow the link for further details

Find out more

If you would like to know more about training at the IBTC and what we can offer you the please visit our website. Alternatively you can email us.