August 22, 2005
Staying the course | Washington County Community College's Boat School stays afloat after a bout of stormy weather
By Kirah Brouillette
If Maine's 398 years in the boat building business isn't enough to underscore the importance of the industry to both the state's economy and its trade-based education systems, then, according to Dean Pike, "We're never going to get it."
Pike is the sole full-time instructor at Washington County Community College's Boat Building Program. Commonly known as the Boat School, the program has drawn acclaim from the boat-building industry since its inception in 1969. But in the last few years, it's fallen upon hard times. Most notably, financial difficulties caused WCCC officials to cancel the Boat School's entire 2004-2005 school year.
The problems are somewhat incongruous, given that the program's reputation for intensive, hands-on training means it has been placing graduates in boat-related jobs from Canada to Mexico for more than 30 years ˆ and that the boat building industry in Maine currently suffers from a shortage of trained workers.
But according to WCCC President Bill Cassidy, the program's current difficulties began a decade ago. Specifically, Cassidy cited ailments common to community colleges in Maine today: decreasing federal financial support for trade schools nationwide, the loss of available state funds and what he says is the Boat School's "constantly decreasing" student body. These issues combined, he said, have led to the program's current handicapped state.
With problems like low enrollment and declining funding, the Boat School faced the possibility that the one-year shutdown might become permanent ˆ an unacceptable option in the eyes of students, industry leaders and the administration alike. This year, the school finds itself in the same precarious position, but with a plan for change at the ready: The solution, according to Cassidy and Pike, lies in collaboration between the industry and the school, both in terms of cash support from boat builders and in the creation of better links between students and employers, via programs such as apprenticeships. Both men feel that a unification of industry and academics is the only probable way to release the school from its dependence on state and federal funds. If executed correctly, the plan, they hope, could keep the school afloat for another 30 years.
Although the year-long closure was unpopular, Cassidy says it created what he calls a "retooling period" that ultimately will allow the school to re-open its doors this fall with a freshman class of 15, almost double that of the previous school year. "[The year] was spent figuring out ways to make this thing work ˆ financially and [in terms of] educating our students the best we can under a [proposed] consolidated program," Cassidy said.
Under the consolidation plan, the Eastport campus ˆ a full-service boatyard on the waterfront ˆ was slated to be shut down and moved to WCCC's main campus in Calais to save an estimated $150,000 in basic operational costs, including electricity, heat and transportation. Pike, who says he graduated from the Boat School "sometime in the late 70s," opposed the idea; he and Cassidy have long held differing visions of the program'ss future. "The facility is inadequate and unsafe," he said. "It was an unfair decision to both students and instructors, one we were saved from through the generosity of the governor."
A numbers game
Pike is referring to a last-minute commitment of $75,000 in state funding that was garnered by Eastport City Manager Bud Finch during a friendly runway ambush as Gov. John Baldacci boarded a plane in Machias in mid-July. That money, combined with an estimated $80,000 raised over the last year by Finch and Pike from local businesses and private contributions, enabled the program to get up and running again with the largest group of students it's attracted in recent years.
And keeping those enrollment numbers up will be important as the program moves forward, according to Pike and Cassidy. That means putting an emphasis on recruiting, something Pike said was lost over the last few years. This year, though, a radio ad campaign produced results; both Pike and Cassidy attribute the fall's large freshman class to the ads, which had the added advantage of attracting students younger than the 24- to 27-year-olds who typically attend the program. "We do need younger students ˆ kids who can afford to stay through the entire two years [of the program] because they don't have a family to feed and a mortgage to pay," said Pike.
Such financial realities mean that many of the Boat School's older students drop out early and enter the job market with only half an education behind them, according to Pike. That's a real problem for employers like Ralph Stanley, an acclaimed wooden boat builder. "I've been doing this a long time," Stanley said, "and every year it gets harder and harder to find qualified workers." And, he said, when he "manages to find crew," his company, The Ralph Stanley Boatyard on Mount Desert Island, finds itself "re-teaching them most of what they learned" in school.
Last year, Stanley, along with other boat builders across the state, wrote a letter to the Maine Seacoast Mission, a multi-denominational, church-based community assistance program in Bar Harbor, suggesting the organization get in touch with various boat builders to start an apprenticeship program and fund scholarships that might draw intelligent, hardworking men and women to the trade. "The future is what matters right now, for the school and the industry," Stanley said. "The jobs are there, we just have to find a way to fill them." (The mission is still working with the industry and the community to develop plans for future programs.)
The Boat School has long taught its students to build wooden boats like those for which Stanley is known. But two years ago, WCCC added fiberglass construction and repair at the urging of the industry. "Traditional [wooden] boat building is a beautiful thing, an art, but [the industry] has asked for more updated methods and we want our students to be prepared to meet that demand," Pike said.
This year, wiring, painting and engine repair classes drawn from recently eliminated individual programs will be coupled with the traditional boat building methods, helping graduates to become multi-faceted ˆ and highly employable ˆ builders, despite the fact that the program is operating with just one full-time instructor (down from two in years past) and a handful of part-time adjunct instructors. "By doing this," Cassidy said, "we can eliminate failing programs, find more money for [the Boat School] and equip our students with the tools they need to truly succeed."
Boat School officials hope that the program changes, combined with a new focus on recruitment and an emphasis on getting boat builders involved, will ensure a more stable future. "We are planning apprenticeships and job fairs; we're courting the industry, looking toward the community and tightening our belt all around," Cassidy said.
In the meantime, Pike is eager to begin teaching this year's students, both basic classes for freshmen and more advanced topics for seniors. "I love this place," he said "There's a history of dedicated people behind it; people who helped to establish it as one of the best in the world. That's a reputation worth saving. Whatever the roadblock, we'll knock it down. That's a promise."
Pike is the sole full-time instructor at Washington County Community College's Boat Building Program. Commonly known as the Boat School, the program has drawn acclaim from the boat-building industry since its inception in 1969. But in the last few years, it's fallen upon hard times. Most notably, financial difficulties caused WCCC officials to cancel the Boat School's entire 2004-2005 school year.
The problems are somewhat incongruous, given that the program's reputation for intensive, hands-on training means it has been placing graduates in boat-related jobs from Canada to Mexico for more than 30 years ˆ and that the boat building industry in Maine currently suffers from a shortage of trained workers.
But according to WCCC President Bill Cassidy, the program's current difficulties began a decade ago. Specifically, Cassidy cited ailments common to community colleges in Maine today: decreasing federal financial support for trade schools nationwide, the loss of available state funds and what he says is the Boat School's "constantly decreasing" student body. These issues combined, he said, have led to the program's current handicapped state.
With problems like low enrollment and declining funding, the Boat School faced the possibility that the one-year shutdown might become permanent ˆ an unacceptable option in the eyes of students, industry leaders and the administration alike. This year, the school finds itself in the same precarious position, but with a plan for change at the ready: The solution, according to Cassidy and Pike, lies in collaboration between the industry and the school, both in terms of cash support from boat builders and in the creation of better links between students and employers, via programs such as apprenticeships. Both men feel that a unification of industry and academics is the only probable way to release the school from its dependence on state and federal funds. If executed correctly, the plan, they hope, could keep the school afloat for another 30 years.
Although the year-long closure was unpopular, Cassidy says it created what he calls a "retooling period" that ultimately will allow the school to re-open its doors this fall with a freshman class of 15, almost double that of the previous school year. "[The year] was spent figuring out ways to make this thing work ˆ financially and [in terms of] educating our students the best we can under a [proposed] consolidated program," Cassidy said.
Under the consolidation plan, the Eastport campus ˆ a full-service boatyard on the waterfront ˆ was slated to be shut down and moved to WCCC's main campus in Calais to save an estimated $150,000 in basic operational costs, including electricity, heat and transportation. Pike, who says he graduated from the Boat School "sometime in the late 70s," opposed the idea; he and Cassidy have long held differing visions of the program'ss future. "The facility is inadequate and unsafe," he said. "It was an unfair decision to both students and instructors, one we were saved from through the generosity of the governor."
A numbers game
Pike is referring to a last-minute commitment of $75,000 in state funding that was garnered by Eastport City Manager Bud Finch during a friendly runway ambush as Gov. John Baldacci boarded a plane in Machias in mid-July. That money, combined with an estimated $80,000 raised over the last year by Finch and Pike from local businesses and private contributions, enabled the program to get up and running again with the largest group of students it's attracted in recent years.
And keeping those enrollment numbers up will be important as the program moves forward, according to Pike and Cassidy. That means putting an emphasis on recruiting, something Pike said was lost over the last few years. This year, though, a radio ad campaign produced results; both Pike and Cassidy attribute the fall's large freshman class to the ads, which had the added advantage of attracting students younger than the 24- to 27-year-olds who typically attend the program. "We do need younger students ˆ kids who can afford to stay through the entire two years [of the program] because they don't have a family to feed and a mortgage to pay," said Pike.
Such financial realities mean that many of the Boat School's older students drop out early and enter the job market with only half an education behind them, according to Pike. That's a real problem for employers like Ralph Stanley, an acclaimed wooden boat builder. "I've been doing this a long time," Stanley said, "and every year it gets harder and harder to find qualified workers." And, he said, when he "manages to find crew," his company, The Ralph Stanley Boatyard on Mount Desert Island, finds itself "re-teaching them most of what they learned" in school.
Last year, Stanley, along with other boat builders across the state, wrote a letter to the Maine Seacoast Mission, a multi-denominational, church-based community assistance program in Bar Harbor, suggesting the organization get in touch with various boat builders to start an apprenticeship program and fund scholarships that might draw intelligent, hardworking men and women to the trade. "The future is what matters right now, for the school and the industry," Stanley said. "The jobs are there, we just have to find a way to fill them." (The mission is still working with the industry and the community to develop plans for future programs.)
The Boat School has long taught its students to build wooden boats like those for which Stanley is known. But two years ago, WCCC added fiberglass construction and repair at the urging of the industry. "Traditional [wooden] boat building is a beautiful thing, an art, but [the industry] has asked for more updated methods and we want our students to be prepared to meet that demand," Pike said.
This year, wiring, painting and engine repair classes drawn from recently eliminated individual programs will be coupled with the traditional boat building methods, helping graduates to become multi-faceted ˆ and highly employable ˆ builders, despite the fact that the program is operating with just one full-time instructor (down from two in years past) and a handful of part-time adjunct instructors. "By doing this," Cassidy said, "we can eliminate failing programs, find more money for [the Boat School] and equip our students with the tools they need to truly succeed."
Boat School officials hope that the program changes, combined with a new focus on recruitment and an emphasis on getting boat builders involved, will ensure a more stable future. "We are planning apprenticeships and job fairs; we're courting the industry, looking toward the community and tightening our belt all around," Cassidy said.
In the meantime, Pike is eager to begin teaching this year's students, both basic classes for freshmen and more advanced topics for seniors. "I love this place," he said "There's a history of dedicated people behind it; people who helped to establish it as one of the best in the world. That's a reputation worth saving. Whatever the roadblock, we'll knock it down. That's a promise."
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