Training Program Seeks to Develop Alaskan Shipbuilders

 

Shipbuilder and repairer Vigor has teamed up with the maritime workforce development network Maritime Works for a public, private and philanthropic initiative called Advancing Alaskan Workers, which will train Alaska’s next generation of advanced manufacturing workers.

 

The initiative strives to combat the high turnover rates seen at Vigor’s Ketchikan shipyard and elsewhere that result when non-Alaskans are recruited to fill the state’s critical skills gap.

 

In 2016 Vigor employed 191 people at the Ketchikan Shipyard, up from 21 employees in 1994. Now with large contracts to build two Alaska-class ferries for the Alaska Marine Highway System, as well as other large projects forecasted for the future, Vigor said it is working with Maritime Works to proactively build a skilled local workforce to meet the demand.

 

“The maritime sector holds great promise for the future of our state,” said Doug Ward, Director of Shipyard Development at Vigor. “To realize that promise we must have a stable, best-in-class Alaska resident workforce which will enable us to win more contracts and in turn provide a steady flow of work for our community.”

 

The Advancing Alaskan Workers project offers structured on-the-job training, leading to industry-recognized credentials and family wage careers. “This is key to providing sustainable opportunities for Alaskans in the Ketchikan workforce as well as providing Vigor’s current workforce a path for upgrading skills, advancing to leadership positions and higher earnings,” said Cari-Ann Carty, spokesperson for Maritime Works. Carty is the Executive Director of the Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium (APICC), an industry backed nonprofit, which serves as staff and fiscal agent for Maritime Works.

 

Vigor said it has long developed curriculum, partnered with educational institutions and provided structured on the job training for the next generation of maritime and industrial workers, and that joining forces with Maritime Works in Alaska is an important next step for growing its work in Alaska.

 

Advancing Alaskan Workers is only one initiative aimed at increasing the number of Alaskans employed in the Maritime Sector. The employers leading Maritime Works are also investing in innovative programs to address a shortage of qualified Alaskan workers in seafood harvesting, processing and marine transportation. They are pooling industry dollars with public funds, and partnering with other stakeholders like the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the University of Alaska, Alaska Construction Academies, Alaska Native groups and others to strengthen the local workforce. 

 

Vigor said its employees are excited about the training: more than 50 employees registering in the first week. “My goal is to learn as much as I can and make myself indispensable,” said Paul Fletcher, a machinist, crane operator and shipbuilder at Vigor.