Three Year Apprenticeship Diploma in Boatbuilding Program at the Sea Factory of the Basques in Albaola, Spain
Located at Albaola in Spain, the Lance Lee International Boat Building School uses the apprenticeship educational methodology is based on experiential learning in an international environment. Students are dealing with hands on carpentry tasks from the very beginning, and are encouraged to confront problems and come up with novel solutions on their own, in a safe environment.
The School is located within Albaola, the Sea Factory of the Basques, an active naval museum and maritime heritage facility. The Factory is a dynamic place, very active in the construction of replicas of historical boats and ships. Albaola is internationally recognized in the world of wooden boat building and in the preservation of cultural heritage. It has an extensive network of relationships with organizations and is appears in media throughout the world.
The school’s program is aimed at 18 apprentices, men and women over 18, coming from anywhere in the world. It is a trade school and the applicant’s motivation is especially important in the selection process. It is the only school which offers a complete, advanced trade school degree in three years. The school provides excellent references for students and they have the opportunity to sail historically important vessels.
Training Programs
Aprendiztegi Program
- Aprendiztegi Program (3 years): During the three years of the program at Aprendiztegi, apprentices participate in a wide variety of boat building projects right from the beginning. The training system focuses on practicing essential skills; apprentices enter into tasks progressively, as they develop new skills and search for excellence in the quality of their work.
- Learning Outcomes: The apprentices participate in the building of different kinds of traditional boats. Thus, they learn different building techniques, such as carvel or lapstrake planking, sawn or bent frames, and they build bigger boats of historical interest, often equipped with decks and complex rigging, basic boat interiors based on current projects.
- Diploma: At the end of the program, the apprentices will receive a certificate which shows that the apprentice has fulfilled the formation in Aprendiztegi. It must be noted that this certificate has no official value.
Professional Opportunities
The high level of technical and problem-solving skills required in wooden boatbuilding allows the graduating boatbuilder to excel in a wide range of professional areas
- Wooden boatbuilding
- Modern shipbuilding
- Conventional carpentry
- Restoration of historic architectural heritage
- Construction of unique buildings
- Underwater archaeology
- Naval industries
Other Details
- Fees: Aprendiztegi reaches a broader spectrum of people, the school program will be free of charge and no school fees will be required for Aprendiztegi other than the deposit, refundable at the end of the three-year apprenticing period.
- Apprentice: In exchange, every six weeks the apprentice will dedicate a week (from Wednesday to Sunday, coinciding with the opening hours of the Albaola Factory) to fulfill tasks related to the maintenance, operation and general running of the School and of the Albaola Factory.
- Languages: Euskara, Spanish, French and English will be the accepted languages used in the School. The apprentice must be ready to coexist in a multilingual and multicultural context.
- Accommodation: Students can lodge at the School’s residence, in Albaola. The facilities include a shared dorm for 18 people, laundry room, showers and a kitchen. Residents of the dorm are required to make a monthly donation of 200€ for the use and maintenance of the residence. Students who choose to live elsewhere are free of this contribution.