Wooden Boat Stage 2026 puts young people at the heart of the UK's traditional boatbuilding future

ast year's inaugural Wooden Boat Stage was opened by sailor Jaz Turner who is seen here (left to right) with Will Reed, Director of the BBA, Belinda Joslin, Founder of Women in Boat Building and Colin Henwood, Chairman of the WBTA © Wooden Boat Stage

An expanded programme at Southampton International Boat Show aims to inspire the next generation with hands-on activities, career advice and young industry role models.

The Wooden Boat Stage returns to the Southampton International Boat Show (SIBS) this month with a larger presence and a clear mission: to inspire the next generation of boatbuilders and demonstrate that traditional wooden boatbuilding offers a rewarding and creative career.

Now in its second year, the stage will deliver a busy programme of daily demonstrations, practical sessions, talks and panel discussions, with a particular focus on introducing young people to the skills, people, and career opportunities within the industry.

Belinda Joslin, Founder of Women in Boat Building explained:

"We want to make wooden boatbuilding accessible to young people. We want to make it a visible career, with clearly signposted pathways, and we want young people to know that they are wanted, welcome and needed in traditional wooden boatbuilding yards, colleges, and apprenticeships.

"We have some amazing young role models on the stage throughout the show, talking about their training and their jobs - and showing that boatbuilding is a viable career choice."

A key feature of this year's programme is the 'Routes into the Industry' panel at 3pm on Thursday 24 September, hosted by Katy Stickland, Editor of Practical Boat Owner.

Katy will be joined by four young people working in the industry, each representing a different route into boatbuilding and the wider marine sector: Bonny Brookes, a self-trained marine electrician, Brenden George, a Boat Building Academy-trained boatbuilder now working at Spirit Yachts, Ela Keegan, who is learning on the job at Hunter's Yard and Jenisha Mistry, a second-year boatbuilding apprentice at Berthon.

Ela Keegan from Hunter's Yard will be amongst the hosts involved in a programme of talks, panels, and activities aimed at younger people, at the Wooden Boat Stage at SIBS later this month - photo © Wooden Boat Stage

Together, they will share their experiences, discuss the different pathways available and offer advice to young people considering a career in the marine industry.

The Boat Building Academy (BBA) will deliver career-focused talks at 2pm on Saturday 19 September and 11am on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 September.

BBA tutors and graduates will also appear on the stage throughout the show, sharing their experiences and outlining the range of opportunities available after completing specialist training.

On Thursday 24 September at 2pm, Pioneer Sailing Trust will present a talk with Felicity Scully focusing on the Level 3 Heritage Engineer Marine Technician Apprenticeship. The apprenticeship is currently the only one of its kind in the UK and has government funding in place until 2029.

On Tuesday 22 September at 3pm, Ela from Hunter's Yard will host 'How UK yards are working with schools to inspire a new generation.'

The panel will bring together representatives from the Boat Building Academy, Woodbridge Riverside Trust and Spirit Yachts - organisations that have all established successful schools' programmes with local schools - to explore how boatbuilding businesses and organisations can work with schools and the national curriculum to introduce students of different ages to practical skills, boatbuilding and the wider marine sector.

The aim is to encourage more boatyards and marine organisations to develop grassroots schools' programmes in their own communities, helping young people discover the industry from an early age.

The Wooden Boat Stage is created and delivered by the collaborative efforts of the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis (BBA), the Wooden Boatbuilders' Trade Association (WBTA) and Women in Boat Building (WIBB).

Alongside its focus on the future, the stage continues to celebrate the passion, craftsmanship and people behind the UK's modern wooden boatbuilding industry, while showcasing the history and heritage of the sector.

A new Model Boat Workshop will also give younger visitors the chance to get hands-on and make their first wooden boat. Participants will glue, join, rig, and decorate their own gaff cutter, complete with handmade sails supplied by East Coast Sailmakers. The activity will run in the Wooden Boat Stage tent at weekends, giving children and young people the opportunity to experience the satisfaction of making something for themselves.

Will Reed, Director of the Boat Building Academy, said:

"Educational partnerships and accessible expert training are key to the future preservation and success of the boatbuilding industry, enabling young people with creative talents to access a wealth of fulfilling careers, and organisations such as the BBA to continue to provide talented boatbuilders and associated craftspeople to our boatyards and businesses.

"The BBA has already welcomed 160 schoolchildren through its doors for courses and visits and is building rewarding partnerships with local schools."

"This is especially pertinent now as the country struggles with a rising number of young people not in education or training, many of whom would undoubtedly excel in the highly practical and creative marine sector.

"With practical activities, accessible career advice and young people already working in the industry taking centre stage, the Wooden Boat Stage is aiming to make sure the next generation can see a place for themselves in the future of wooden boatbuilding."

View the full Wooden Boat Stage programme here.