The Rhode Island Marine Trades Association expanded its summer training programs to give adults, college-age students and local youth skills to begin career paths in the marine trades and composites industries.
Three programs will be offered this summer: the Marine Trades and Composites Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program for Rhode Island residents older than 18 who are looking to gain skills for entry-level jobs; the Summer Marketing Internship Program for college-age students interested in marketing careers in the recreational boating industry; and the Youth Summer Boatbuilding Program for 14- to 16-year-olds in the North Providence and Newport areas.
The programs are free because of support from local industry and organizations that include Real Jobs Rhode Island, the Governor’s Workforce Board and the Workforce Partnership of Greater Rhode Island.
The Marine Trades & Composites Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program begins in mid-July and runs for seven weeks. The hands-on program gives Rhode Island residents who are older than 18 the skills needed for entry-level jobs in a wide range of areas — from carpentry to rigging, painting, composites, marine systems and other areas — as well as on-the-job experience in a short-term internship.
The Summer Marketing Internship Program is for college-age students interested in a marketing career in the recreational boating industry. The program is held at Salve Regina University and is run in conjunction with an instructor from the University of Rhode Island; it gives participants experience in marketing, public relations and event planning and combines classroom sessions with on-the-job experience with local marine companies. The program, now in its third year, begins July 6 and runs for six weeks.
The Youth Summer Boatbuilding Program has been expanded this year to two locations: Newport and North Providence. The program helps students ages 14 to 16 to learn about the local marine industry and its careers while completing a hands-on boatbuilding project. The program includes training in basic hands-on skills, combined with career exploration, leadership development and adult mentoring. The boatbuilding programs start in July and run for six weeks.
The Newport program is run in partnership with the Newport Area Career & Technical Center and is open to 14- to 16-year-old students who live in Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Jamestown. The North Providence program will be run at North Providence High School and is open to students from North Providence.
