EVERETT, OCT. 6: The first-ever maritime program for North Puget Sound high school seniors began last month through a partnership with the Port of Everett, Maritime Institute and Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center.
High school seniors throughout Snohomish and Island counties enrolled in Sno-Isle TECH will have an opportunity to become fully credentialed and professionally trained mariners by the time they graduate. The partnership represents its first-ever maritime-focused career pathway, Port of Everett said in a press release.
The inaugural 2025-2026 Maritime Vessel Operations program kicked off on Sept. 8, 2025, welcoming 10 students for the pilot year of course work and on-the-waterfront training. While starting with a pilot class of 10 students, the program is expected to grow year after year.
“When the prospect presented itself to partner with two outstanding organizations, Maritime Institute and Port of Everett, it would be silly of us not to take this opportunity,” Wes Allen, Director of Sno-Isle TECH said. “There is a need to train young adults to fill this growing gap in industry. The first U.S. Coast Guard approved class at the high school level, Maritime Vessel Operations, is meeting the directive of our state to train students for the high-need and high-wage careers of the future. We look forward to growing the Maritime program and strengthening our partnerships well into the future”.
The curriculum adapts Maritime Institute’s U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) approved “Mariner Bootcamp” program, historically only offered to adults as an 8-week intensive course, into a year-long program tailored to fit the schedule of the high school skill center programming and aligned with core competencies required for graduation.
The curriculum is being taught at the Port of Everett by a Sno-Isle TECH instructor following Maritime Institute’s USCG approved guidelines, blending classroom, hands-on and field instruction to prepare students for real-world maritime careers.
Washington’s maritime industry employs over 62,000 workers, earning an average salary of $112,000, according to a 2022 study prepared for Washington Maritime Federation.
Top employment sectors include maritime logistics and shipping, shipbuilding, commercial fishing and seafood production, recreational boating, passenger water transportation, and maritime support services, according to the study.
Students who successfully complete the program will be qualified to join any U.S. Merchant Vessel at the entry level, will be internationally certified, and will receive necessary credentials, including a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) and Certification of Watchkeepers (STCW-95).
If you are interested in supporting this effort, please contact Sarah Scherer ([email protected]) at Maritime Institute Everett or Trudy Swain ([email protected]) at Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center.
Based on a press release from the Port of Everett.