BENEATH THE SURFACE B Y H E AT H E R S T E I N B E R G E R
Cultivating the Dream Team
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t one of my favorite restaurants, a sign on the wall reads, “Please be patient with our staffing shortage… it’s the new pandemic.” That likely resonates with all of us. We see “Help Wanted” signs at businesses across our communities, we read news articles about labor shortages in every industry, and we experience unfortunate closures and suspended services on a daily basis. The Great Resignation is a real thing. Are boating businesses suffering as well? Yes and no. Certainly staffing shortages exist, but in the marine industry, attracting and retaining a skilled workforce has always been a bit of a challenge. That gave the industry a framework from which to build when COVID-19 hit. While others struggled to find their footing, this one kept calm and carried on.
(Below and opposite page, top image) Apprentices at Irish Boat Shop learn about marine batteries.
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Building a lasting career “Technically, skilled labor shortages are nothing new,” says Laura Kohler, Irish Boat Shop’s human resources manager. “When I was hired five years ago, the need for a more formalized training program was one of the first things we talked about.” Kohler observes that the marine industry traditionally has done a good job of training people from the ground up, but not in a formalized way. At Irish Boat Shop, one recent retiree had been with the company for 49 years; one of the current employees started at age 18 and is now 40.
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“Once they’re with us, people tend to stay,” she says. “But we needed a shot in the arm. A local ironworks place started its own school here in northern Michigan, and I thought, ‘That’s awesome! Let’s do that.’” In 2019, Irish Boat Shop began its Marine Technician Apprenticeship program in Charlevoix and Harbor Springs, Michigan, two of its three locations. Now heading into its fourth season, the two-year program incorporates classroom, reading and on-the-job components that are designed to give each apprentice the professional knowledge and skills they need to build a lasting career as a marine technician. “We do everything you can think of on boats, so apprentices are introduced to a vast number of skills,” Kohler says. With a chuckle, she adds, “Originally we had a checklist to formalize the process, but we quickly learned that did not work. We got rid of it eight months in.” Irish Boat Shop replaced the checklist with a core competency list, and paired each apprentice with a mentor-technician in each competency area. It also added a weekly meeting with the mentor, apprentice and service manager. “That made a huge difference,” she says. “It provided the consistency we needed. The apprentices have better focus and they learn more when they take the time they need, rather than rushing to check skills off a list.” In their first year, apprentices are exposed to all aspects of Irish Boat Shop’s work in all four seasons. They spend a few weeks in each core competency area, and their role is to learn, listen and be the best helper they can be. Then, in the second year, they can dive into their preferred area of interest. “They have more confidence at that point, and they can stay in an area where they excel rather than bouncing around,” Kohler says. The current format of the apprenticeship program also allows Irish Boat Shop’s management to ascertain who is doing well and who is not. As she notes, not everyone is meant for this profession. “We can identify and see that quickly, which is a good thing,” she says. “Apprenticeships require a
B AT T E R Y P H O T O S C O U R T E S Y O F I R I S H B OAT S H O P ; T W O H E A D S H O T S C O U R T E S Y O F MERCURY MARINE
Marine businesses large and small are bringing up the next generation of specialists through robust apprenticeship programs.
