The New European Bauhaus Academy (NEBA) develops skills for sustainable, circular and regenerative construction. Wooden boatbuilding is also part of this effort, demonstrating how traditional knowledge can support reskilling, cultural heritage, and green jobs.

Traditional shipbuilding craftsmanship is being forgotten or taken over by other materials and techniques. At the same time it represents an art of working with wood and an opportunity to preserve the traditional cultural heritage of European marine areas. Preserving and revitalizing these skills is key to safeguarding traditions while opening new career pathways.

Two Erasmus+ projects All Hands on Deck AHOD and AHOD360 have captured traditional shipwright techniques across Europe and translated them into modern vocational training. The result is a set of resources that help adults, especially those with backgrounds in furniture-making, carpentry, or upholstery, to transfer their woodworking skills into boatbuilding.

The AHOD online course “Introduction to Shipbuilding” www.allhandsondeck.eu is designed for adult learners who already know how to work with wood but want to apply this expertise to boat construction. With more than 400 hours of training across 15 modules, the course covers classic skills such as sketching, assembly, caulking, and finishing, while also addressing budgeting, business opportunities, safety, and sustainability. Learners gain insights into new building techniques, digital tools, and environmental standards, ensuring that their skills remain relevant to contemporary needs.

The training is enriched with a digital knowledge repository, a shipwright collaborative portal, a multilingual shipwright audiovisual terminology database, immersive 360° shipyard tours, and interviews with master builders. Together, these resources open doors for professionals from related industries to move from workshops to shipyards, ensuring Europe’s maritime craftsmanship is not only preserved but actively passed on to a new generation.

The AHOD360 online course is freely available through the NEB Academy open repository, contributing to its pool of training content on bio-based, circular and regenerative processes.