Billmeir Award Scheme

'Billmeir' is the Shipwrights' name for grants the Company awards for technical education and training and comes from a Trust set up in 1957 by the late Jack Billmeir CBE, a shipowner and Prime Warden of the Shipwrights Company in 1962.  Grants are primarily made to individuals to support them in their training at one of the schools teaching modern (e.g. GRP) and traditional timber ship and boat building, or to universities and colleges teaching naval architecture and marine engineering.  Grants are routinely made to cover the purchase of tools or to cover course fees.

Awards may also be made directly to training colleges or to the naval architecture and engineering faculties of universities which offer relevant courses, to support vacation outplacements in industry.  These grants are then administered by the faculty.

Individual grants range from a maximum of about £2,000 to help with fees or living expenses whilst on course, down to £200 for tools.  The tools shown to the left were presented to the top trainee at Borsham North Shore Boat Yard.  It is the Company’s policy to make grants payable to the establishment, not to the applicant, and payment is dependent on continuing good reports of performance and attendance.

Those who have been supported by the Shipwrights were training on courses ranging from naval architecture to traditional wooden boat building at one of the colleges or schools listed below and the Company funded their course fees or tools.   In 2023-24 some £39,250 was allocated to 18 individuals plus the Clyde Maritime Trust for the Tall Ship in Glasgow, the SV GLENLEE.  To date in 2024-25 grants totalling £17,750 have been awarded to twelve applicants from five schools or boatbuilding colleges across the country.

Clicking on a school or college logo will take you to their website.

Specific Terms and Condition are:

Under the terms of the Shipwrights' Company Educational Trust, the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights invites applications from students of naval architecture, or students, apprentices or other persons employed, interested, or concerned in the shipping, shipbuilding, boat building or related industries, who are citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for grants of money to assist the candidate to:

• attend a post-graduate or other advanced course of study at any recognised university or college, or shipbuilding, engineering, shipping or research establishment in the UK; or
• carry out maritime-related research or studies in any part of the world; or
• attend an undergraduate course of maritime related study; or
• spend a period of study or employment in a maritime related industry; or
• engage in any approved activity designed to advance a career in the shipping, shipbuilding, boat building or related industries.

Billmeir Applications

Preference will be given to those under 25 years of age. To apply please complete the online application form using the link at the bottom of this page. Remember that the more relevant information you can provide to show why you are a worthy recipient of an award the better your application will be received. You should also demonstrate how you will be helping the Shipwrights' Company to fulfil its educational and charitable objectives so your references will be also be very important in this regard. The Education and Charities Committee meets three times a year in February, June and November.

Please be aware that the application needs to be properly assessed and references sought and received by the Shipwrights' before it will be considered by the committee.  Applications may be made at any time and will be considered at the next available opportunity by the Education and Charities Committee.

To complete the 'Billmeir On-line Application Form' please click on the link here.