PORT HADLOCK — The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding has 450,500 reasons to celebrate right now.
That’s the sum of two grants awarded to the trade school: $447,500 from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and $3,000 from the Port Townsend Elks.
The federal award will go toward purchasing training equipment for students soon to work in the nearly completed Marine Systems classroom, said Betsy Davis, executive director of the 40-year-old school.
“It’s really, really exciting, and the timing is phenomenal,” Davis said Tuesday, adding the next class of 18 Marine Systems students will begin April 5.
The grant funds hands-on equipment so each student can practice on his or her own gear, she said. That’s critical while the school keeps COVID-19 safety protocols in place.
“We’re breathlessly working on multiple fronts to get ready for the next class,” Davis added, as Marine Systems program founder Kevin Ritz welcomes an additional instructor, Jordan Primus.
A Boat School alumnus who has worked in the industry for a decade, Primus joins the school’s dozen employees.
At the same time, the Boat School is receiving the Port Townsend Elks award earmarked for its support of students who are veterans.
Designated by the state Department of Veterans Affairs as a veteran supportive campus in 2016, the school is expanding its services to students who have served in the military. Vets make up 25 to 30 percent of the student body, Davis noted.
Student Antonio Romero is the new VetCorps Peer Navigator, working with veterans services volunteer Rita Frangione. He’ll work one-to-one as a fellow vet to call on for support.
In the announcement of the federal award, 6th Congressional District Rep. Derek Kilmer’s office noted the grant funds align with EDA’s priority for workforce development and manufacturing in the Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone.
The Boat School sends highly skilled workers into boatbuilding, shipbuilding and other businesses in the local marine trades sector, Kilmer’s office said.
A 2018 study commissioned by the Port Townsend Marine Trades Association found that sector provides $275.5 million in direct business revenue and 1,154 direct jobs with an average salary of $47,000 in Jefferson County.
The deep-water port in neighboring Port Angeles is a key component of the Clallam County economy as well, where maritime trades jobs average $49,000 annually, Kilmer’s office said.
Economic development leaders see growth of the marine trades sector and its full-time, high-paying jobs as an important part of the efforts to recover from COVID’s devastating impact on the tourism economy. Tourism has historically provided about 20 percent of area jobs.
“In these very difficult times, marine businesses are still looking for technicians,” said Davis, who added the Boat School’s six-month programs offer an alternative to a two- or four-year college degree.
Tom Drews, a graduate of the Marine Systems program, has been hired by the Seattle-area company SP Systems. His time at the Boat School was “fantastic, not only for the material,” he said, “but also for setting me up to have a career with a livable wage in the field that I love.”
Davis emphasized the variety of local officials who spoke up for the Boat School.
State legislators Kevin Van De Wege, Steve Tharinger and Mike Chapman, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners, the North Olympic Development Council, the Port Townsend Shipwright Co-Op and SAFE Boats International all backed the federal grant application.
“I’m just honestly, genuinely grateful for the support this community gives,” she said, “to help create these life-changing opportunities for students.”
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Jefferson County senior reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@peninsuladailynews.com.
