Commercial Fishing Apprenticeship

Seattle WA

Description

Eat on the Wild Side is excited to announce the official launch of the “Inbreaker” Apprenticeship Program, with joint support of the Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association (FVOA) and DeepSea Fishermen’s Union (DSFU). The novel program was developed to provide training to new deckhands joining the halibut and sablefish fishing industry. Recent studies estimate that the average age of maritime workers in Alaska and Washington state is 50 years old, and it is predicted that these workers will retire within the next decade with an inadequate number of younger fishermen to replace them. To address this future labor shortage, Eat on the Wild Side has developed a formalized training process to teach new recruits the occupational skill set of commercial fishing. The goal for this program is to provide training to the next generation of commercial fishermen, while reducing worker turnover and increasing the skilled labor pool within the industry. The Inbreaker Program is mutually beneficial for vessel owners and crewmen alike, who will benefit from the expansion of a skilled workforce. The Inbreaker Program has two primary components: Related Technical Instruction (RTI) and On-the-Job Training (OJT). The RTI component consists of courses that provide the apprentice with technical skills related to commercial fishing. Course work for the RTI segment includes at-sea safety and first aid training, diesel mechanics, and marine electrical, as well as an At-Sea and On-Shore Course developed by commercial fishermen. The RTI portion will contain a minimum of 144 hours of training prior to the fishing season through the Washington Sea Grant. The OJT component provides an apprentice with the experience of working aboard a commercial fishing vessel for a full season. The existing crewmen will be responsible for mentoring the apprentice as they progress through the program. The Inbreaker will begin the season at a predetermined share, which will increase as they prove competency in relevant skills. After the apprentice has been voted to full share, they will matriculate the program and seamlessly transfer from apprentice to journeymen with a job position on their sponsoring vessel. To best administer this program, we are pursuing a Registered Apprenticeship Program designation through the Department of Labor. We are currently looking for applicants interested in participating in this training program starting February of 2022. We encourage anyone interested in this opportunity to apply to the “Inbreaker” Apprenticeship Program at eatonthewildside.org/application. For more information regarding the program, please visit the Eat on the Wild Side website or contact Ry Pengilly at 907-539-7145.