Waveney MP Peter Aldous has welcomed new funding through the Coastal Communities Fund for the International Boatbuilding Training College in Oulton Broad. This  will help to create new jobs in Waveney and give young people the skills they need to enter the workplace.

 

£600,000 has been awarded to establish a marine heritage centre to support the preservation of traditional boatbuilding skills and the conservation of historic vessels across East Anglia. As part of this, workshops, open days, master classes and training and work placement programmes will be held which will help to preserve traditional skills. 

 

In particular, the funding will go towards the International Boatbuilding Training College in Oulton Broad allowing it to maintain and build vessels all year around. The College offers a range of customised courses specific to maritime heritage and traditional boatbuilding, and the money will be crucial to funding training programmes to help students get used to being in a working yard and improve their employability.

 

The Coastal Communities Fund is part of the Government’s plan to back small business and enterprise creating jobs and driving investment into coastal communities.

 

Aldous commented:

“I am pleased that funding has been announced to help local projects such as the International Boatbuilding Training College in Oulton Broad. For too long our coastal towns and communities have been forgotten, suffering from neglect and economic decline which has undermined local businesses and led to people moving away to find work elsewhere. The Coastal Communities Fund will give seaside towns the opportunity to prosper once again - providing a real boost to the Waveney area and creating 23 new jobs and apprenticeships for local people.”