Beneath the Surface

Cultivating the Dream Team

Marine businesses large and small are bringing up the next generation of specialists through robust apprenticeship programs.

(Below and opposite page, top image) Apprentices at Irish Boat Shop learn about marine batteries.

At 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.

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.

“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

lot of resources, so we want to focus our time and energy on those who will excel.”

Current applicants are a mix of young people and those seeking to change their careers. According to Kohler, Irish Boat Shop isn’t seeing a lot of local interest; rather, applications for the two available spots at each location are coming from people who want to move to these popular vacation destinations.

“That can be hit or miss,” she says. “We need to get more local people, so our goal is to get into the schools this year. We want to reach those kids who want to stay in northern Michigan and to pursue hands-on work rather than university. These are the kids who are already tinkering with dirt bikes, PWCs and snowmobiles. They need to know that we will pay for their education and help them build a viable career.”

Preparing the next generation Mercury Marine started its apprenticeship program in the 1970s. After the Great Recession, the company revitalized the program during labor negotiations, and it now offers 25-30 new apprenticeships each year.

The apprenticeships are three- to four-year programs, depending on the specific trade. Apprentices can pursue careers as tool and die makers, pattern makers, maintenance mechanics, maintenance electricians, die maintenance technicians, industrial painters, furnace maintenance mechanics, tool and cutter grinders, mechanic specialists and display carpenters.

“They attend school one day per week for two semesters per year, and they have a designated hour requirement for on-the-job training,” says Andres Gonzalez, Mercury Marine’s vice president of human resources. “We have a defined review process to ensure apprentices are staying on track.”

Like Irish Boat Shop, Mercury has a mix of young and older applicants; however, its apprenticeships are largely filled with existing employees who seek to improve their knowledge and skill sets. And Gonzalez reports that more women are entering these skilled trades.

“Almost 50% of our hourly assembly workers in our outboard facility are women,” he says. “Attracting more women continues to be a focus for us going forward.”

Mercury is also setting its sights on high school students. This past year, the company shared information about job openings and starting pay rates that teachers could share with graduating seniors.

Locally, Mercury is also working with the nonprofit cooperative educational service agency CESA6, Envision Greater Fond du Lac, and a variety of school representatives so it can share information about youth apprenticeships in manufacturing. These assembling and machining opportunities are coming in summer 2022.

“We have some speaking arrangements on the calendar already, and we will be adding others in early 2022 at the various local high schools, including Fond du Lac HS, Saint Mary Springs and North Fond du Lac,” Gonzalez says. “We’re also scheduled to participate in mock interviews in March to help prepare students for youth apprenticeships and other interviews they have coming up.”

For more information, visit IRISHBOATSHOP.COM

(Two above photos) Two apprentices at Mercury Marine.

HEATHER STEINBERGER is an award-winning writer/editor who has specialized in boating, travel and outdoor adventure for more than 20 years.