College receives Department of Labor grant to support Maritime Apprenticeships
Seattle Central College recently received more than $900,000 in funding from the Department of Labor to support apprenticeship programs at its Seattle Maritime Academy. The grant comes from the American Apprenticeship Initiative announced by President Obama this summer to create 34,000 new “earn and learn” apprenticeship training opportunities nationwide.
The grant was received as part of a combined partnership, led by South Seattle College, called the Partnership for Advanced Technology Apprenticeships in Manufacturing and Marine Engineering project (PATNAM). PATNAM includes the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS), the Pacific Maritime Institute (PMI), Renton Technical College, Clover Park Technical College, Edmonds Collage and other regional governmental and private industry partners. The partnership received $4.8 million in total, and will serve at least 1,000 apprentices in advanced manufacturing and maritime sectors in Washington State.
With this funding, Seattle Central will work with MITAGS and PMI to develop a Marine Engineering Apprenticeship that targets entry-level workers and trains them to the level of Assistant Engineer over a three-year training period. Funds will also help SMA expand the existing Marine Deck Apprenticeship. To attract candidates to train for these in-demand maritime trades, SMA will also use the funds to develop a marine pre-apprenticeship program. It will also procure advanced simulation equipment for the new and existing programs.