Workboat Mate Program Now Offered in New Orleans through Houston Marine

[Mikey]

Workboat Mate Program Now Offered in New Orleans
The Workboat Academy’s two-year Workboat Mate Program will now be offered at Houston Marine, a member of the Falck Alford Group, beginning fall 2012

Seattle, Wash. (December XX, 2011) —The Workboat Academy and Houston Marine, a member of the Falck Alford Group, signed an agreement to offer the Workboat Mate Program at Houston Marine’s campus in New Orleans. Classes will begin late fall 2012. The Workboat Mate Program is now offered on all three coasts with locations in Seattle, Baltimore and New Orleans.

The Workboat Mate Program is a two-year vocational program which includes 360 days at sea with one of the academy’s partner companies and about 26 weeks of classroom time. After successful completion of the program and the USCG exam, cadets will hold a 500GRT Oceans / 1600 GRT Near Coastal, an AB limited and a Mate of Towing if on a tugboat. Cadets sailing on OSV’s will hold their AB-OSV rating after one year and a 1600 GRT Oceans license upon graduation.

The Workboat Academy prescreens candidates for the program and matches them with a company apprenticeship. All cadets are responsible for paying their own tuition. The prerequisite for candidates is a strong passion for the maritime industry, some background on the water and a High School diploma or equivalent.

The program continues to grow, said Marja van Pietersom, assistant director for the Workboat Academy. “We have more than 30 company partners now, having started in 2006 with just four companies. Today we have close to 200 cadets and graduates. All of our alumni are currently sailing as mates in the industry and 90% are still employed by those companies they apprenticed with. I’m expecting some of our first graduates to sail as master in 2012.”

“We are very pleased with the quality of the cadets from the Workboat Academy,” said Jimmy Skiles, Executive Vice President at Laborde Marine. “Laborde Marine has found this to be an exceptional tool for recruiting competent seafarers and quickly moving them up into the wheelhouse”

Companies interested in partnering with the Workboat Academy on cadet apprenticeships, or in setting up their own company Workboat Mate Program class should contact Marja van Pietersom at (206) 395-8365. Individuals interested in applying for the Workboat Mate Program should contact Marja@workboatacademy.com

[coldduck]

I sure wish something like this was in place when I started!