San Diego-based Maritime Institute has signed a new 10-year lease to locate its newest mariner training facility at the Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place.
The new satellite at the Port of Everett will be Maritime Institute’s first in Washington state. The company currently has campuses in Norfolk, Va. and San Diego, as well as satellite locations in Alameda, Calif. and Honolulu.
The company has said that the Everett site, located at 1130 West Marine View Drive, fills a growing need by providing closer training opportunities for existing and aspiring mariners throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Both classroom and on-the-water instruction are to take place in Everett and would result in recognized certifications for the maritime industry.
Courses are anticipated to begin in January 2024.
(Full disclosure: Maritime Publishing, which produces Fishermen’s News Magazine, is a division of the Maritime Institute.)
“We’re very excited about the opportunity to come up to Everett,” Maritime Institute CEO Dave Abrams said. “This will be a great place for our business, as we bring a valuable service to the community for training local mariners. We look forward to helping people in the Everett area and throughout the Pacific Northwest start and grow their careers in the maritime industry.”
The Maritime Institute trains more than 10,000 mariners across its sites annually. It offers 150-plus courses, authorized by the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy, including all aspects of vessel operations, from deck and engineering to life-safety and even small arms.
Working with local workforce agencies and maritime employers, courses offered at the Port of Everett would be intended to serve the interests and growing maritime needs in Snohomish County and the greater Puget Sound region. That includes applicable mariner training for Washington State Ferries and commercial shipyards.
The Maritime Institute has said that a key program being expanded in Everett is its Mariner Bootcamp—which in just four weeks provides what officials say is the training necessary to put participants with little to no experience on a career pathway in maritime.
“With Washington state being the most trade-dependent state in the nation, and with more than 60% of jobs in Snohomish County alone tied to trade, it is crucial we have accessible pathways to maritime education,” Port of Everett CEO Lisa Lefeber said. “As a port, our mission is growing and promoting access to family-wage jobs. Recruiting a maritime training center to serve Snohomish County and the greater region has been a top priority for us, not only to fulfill this mission, but to also ensure a skilled and diverse maritime workforce in the future.”
The Maritime Institute is leasing nearly 6,000 square feet of interior and exterior light industrial space at the port’s Maritime, Exploration and Innovation Complex located in the Craftsman District at Waterfront Place.