Students Learn About Waterway Careers At Maritime Interaction Day
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Students interested in employment in Maritime careers had an opportunity Friday to learn and explore various aspects of the industry during a four hour educational program with maritime professionals at the Sardis, Ohio inland waterways Maritime Academy and Visitors Center.
The program was run by “We Work the Waterways” a national education outreach nonprofit company that connects communities with career possibilities in the maritime, shipping, and logistics industries. Friday's educational session brought together industry and local high school students from the area to learn about jobs on the waterways including operations, engineering, conservation, and logistics.
During their time there, students were given hands-on experience in a few skills needed to be a deckhand, such as learning how to braid heavy mooring ropes and how to handle a rescue ring in a case of emergency.
One program the students enjoyed was an exercise where they were blindfolded and given a handheld radio. Laid out on the ground was a series of square lines with objects laid out randomly inside the squares. A second student was given a radio to direct the blindfolded student through the maze of obstacles. The point of the exercise was to give them a sense of a deckhand taking instructions from the captain in the wheelhouse and the blind folded student as a deckhand out on a barge 200 feet away. Learning to listen and follow instructions in the fog, and darkness is a necessary skill for a deckhand.
The organization provided resources for schools, educators, parents, and civic leaders to build awareness of the type of jobs available, which can be navigation, construction, or management of watercraft and marine infrastructure. Maritime opportunities could also lead to jobs as ship captains, naval architects, port logistics, and even many shoreline positions.
The four-hour session included presentations from industry professionals who spoke about the impact the maritime industry has on people's daily lives and activities. It also introduced students to hands-on activities as they would move from station to station, giving them the opportunity to ask questions and gain insight from industry professionals. Students were also given port and vessel tours, which gave them a chance to see new and different things. Career possibilities are nearly endless, and can include hospitality and support, such as food preparation, and passenger services on cruise ships and ferries.
It was pointed out that 91% of all goods moved in this country are moved over water. And in the next 10 years the industry will see a 30% growth and a need for more individuals to go into maritime careers. They talked of wages ranging from starting as a deckhand at $55,000 a year up to $150,000 to work in the pilot house.
Instructors emphasized that this is a field that has a lot of opportunity for growth and advancement. It was also discussed that a typical deck hand works 21 days on and 21 days off.
During the lunch break, students from Swiss Hills Culinary school prepared lunch for a group of nearly 100 people.
Attending schools were River, Monroe Central, Swiss Hills, Meadow Brook, Union Local, Barnesville and Bridgeport high schools.
Errin Howard, Executive Director of We work the Waterways has for the last 20 years worked to bring awareness to the public and the maritime industry. The need for awareness of the growing career field is important. And the mission of Howard's organization is to reach out, and educate as many young people to give them an idea of what is possible.
The program was organized by Taylor Abbot as a way to show off the newly renovated former RiverSide golf club house that has now been transformed into a state-of-the-art training center for mariners.
Abbot saw an opportunity to bring local students from area schools into a center where those who work in the industry could exchange their experiences and skills associated with the industry to those who want to enter into the work of maritime employment.