Northwest School Of Wooden Boat Building

THE NORTHWEST SCHOOL OF WOODEN BOATBUILDING (NWSWB) IS A POST-SECONDARY TRADE SCHOOL THAT TEACHES CRAFTMANSHIP THROUGH BOATBUILDING AT ITS 7-ACRE CAMPUS IN PORT-HADLOCK, WASHINGTON. INCORPORATED AS A NON-PROFIT CORPORATION 40 YEARS AGO, THE SCHOOL HAS TAUGHT OVER 1,700 GRADUATES THE SKILLS REQUIRED TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN BOTH TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY WOODEN BOATS, AND IN 2018 LAUNCHED ITS NEW PROGRAM TO TEACH MARINE SYSTEMS FOR MARINE TECHNICIANS. THE SCHOOL FULFILLS THREE OVERARCHING GOALS AS DEFINED IN ITS STRATEGIC PLAN: (1) PROVIDING QUALITY EDUCATION AND JOB READINESS (2) PRESERVING AND TEACHING CRAFTSMANSHIP (3) BRINGING VITALITY TO OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY. NWSWB WORKS CLOSELY WITH THE BOATBUILDING INDUSTRY TO ENSURE THAT SKILLS TAUGHT ARE RELEVANT TO CURRENT NEEDS.

THE 12-MONTH BOATBUILDING ASSOCIATE OF OCCUPATIONAL (AOS) DEGREE PROGRAM OFFERS A COMPACT AND COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM THAT TAKES TIME-TESTED TRADITIONAL SKILLS MIXED WITH MODERN WOOD COMPOSITE TECHNIQUES TO OFFER STUDENTS THE BEST PROGRAM AND GET STUDENTS INTO THE WORKFORCE QUICKLY. THIS HANDS-ON TRAINING FOLLOWS INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND TECHNIQUES AND PROVIDES EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT BOAT BUILDING AND WOODWORKING TECHNIQUES THROUGH A COMBINATION OF HAND AND POWER TOOL USE. STUDENTS LEARN WHILE BUILDING A WIDE RANGE OF BOAT PROJECTS RANGING FROM 8 TO 36 FEET, CONSTRUCTED THROUGH CARVEL, LAPSTRAKE, AND COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES ON POWER, SAIL, AND ROW BOATS.

THE 9-MONTH MARINE SYSTEMS DIPLOMA PROGRAM COVERS SUBJECTS INTEGRAL TO BOAT BUILDING AND REPAIR, SUCH AS ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS, ELECTRONICS, CORROSION, DIESEL ENGINES, OUTBOARD MOTORS, STEERING AND CONTROLS, PROPULSION, HYDRAULICS, MARINE PLUMBING AND MARINE HVAC. MODELED ON COMPETENCY-BASED TRAINING, STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE THE WORK AS WELL AS UNDERSTAND THE THEORY BEHIND IT. THE PROGRAM IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED WITH INPUT FROM SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, FOCUSING ON SKILLS THAT EMPLOYEES NEED IN THE WORKPLACE. THE HANDS-ON TRAINING FOLLOWS CFR, ABYC, NFPA, ABS, AND NMEA INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND RELIES HEAVILY ON SAFETY AND WORKMANSHIP. IN-FIELD TRAINING HAPPENS ON REAL BOATS OF ALL CONSTRUCTION TYPES: WOOD, FIBERGLASS, ALUMINUM, AND STEEL. THE SCHOOL ALSO PROVIDES ONE-WEEK INTENSIVE COURSES IN INDIVIDUAL DISCIPLINES TAUGHT IN THE MARINE SYSTEMS PROGRAM.