From boat-building to marine biology, there's a new push to prepare high school students to work in the maritime industry.
This fall, Maritime High School, a new public choice school in the Highline school district, opens its doors.
Tremain Holloway is the principal of the newly formed Maritime High School.
“People forget that maritime is not just about boats. So there are so many different things - so many different programs - that you can find in the maritime industry,” Holloway said.
Half of the student body will comprise of students from within Highline Public School - the rest from surrounding cities and towns.
“We have some young folks. Folks of color that look like me who are really interested and we want to give them an opportunity as well. We want them to know that there are tons and tons of opportunities within maritime,” Holloway said.
There was an effort to cultivate a local workforce led by the Port of Seattle, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, and the Northwest Maritime Center.
It's a perfect fit for 14-year-old Nobu Anderson of Seattle.
“I’ve always been interested in maritime learning, especially marine biology. So, probably the thing that I wanted to learn about was most likely marine science,” Anderson said.
Upon graduation, students will be able to continue to a two- or four-year college or step right into the workforce, if they choose.
“There is a lot of opportunities in the maritime field and our goal is to really give students that opportunity to explore all that maritime has to offer,” Holloway said.
They are opportunities that, frankly, can be lucrative. Maritime workers are paid an average of $70,800, according to the state's department of commerce. That's $20,000 above the state average.