U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal worked together to steer a simulated ferry into a virtual downtown Seattle dock Friday morning at Seattle Central College’s Maritime Academy.
The hands-on lesson in maritime navigation gave them a taste of what students at the community college do to prepare for a maritime career.
“This is just good teaching pedagogy, giving students an experience to let them manipulate it,” Cardona said. “For a lot of students, it opens their eyes to what’s possible. When you are younger you may not know that this exists here.”
Cardona toured the academy to highlight how the program engages students and provides opportunities for good-paying jobs. The stop was one of many he is taking across the country to learn about technical education on the heels of President Joe Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda.
He’s also in town to give the commencement address Saturday to the University of Washington’s Class of 2023 at Husky Stadium. It’s the first time the education secretary has visited Seattle-area schools since he was appointed to the post in March 2021.
His second stop of the day is Lake Washington High School in Kirkland with U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene to learn about its robotics and urban agriculture programs.
The Maritime Academy has two programs, one focused on deck technology and the other focused on engineering technology. Between the two programs, the academy teaches 36 students a year. Next year, they’re looking to enlarge both programs.
School leaders have connections with industry partners to help students land internships, and they have industry leaders on their advisory board to give recommendations about what students should be learning to be best prepared to enter the field.
Cardona said it’s important for industries to work with training programs to build behind-the-scenes connections because “they are critical for students to get work.”
The area has experienced a ferry worker shortage for years because the working population is aging out, said Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap, the interim chancellor of Seattle Colleges. It hit a high point with ferry cancellations and alternative schedules during the pandemic.
“There’s likely always been a need to build up the next generation of mariners, but the last two or three years it’s been far more punctuated,” said Rimando-Chareunsap.
Seattle Colleges, like most community colleges across the nation, saw a decrease in enrollment during the pandemic, but they are starting to see an increase this year, said Bradley Lane, interim president of Seattle Central College.
“If you like hands-on learning, this is not an ordinary classroom experience that you see. People are working on ships, with new technology,” Lane said. “It’s also a really great living-wage job.”
“Sometimes it’s as simple as just liking being on the water and not knowing that could turn into a career,” Lane said.
“They can also see the world (in this job). Get around and travel,” Rimando-Chareunsap said. “It’s a career that literally takes you places.”
The Seattle Maritime Academy is on the Lake Washington Ship Canal near the Ballard Bridge.
