Education

Washington State Ferry Director Steve Nevey

Today a new wave of future Washington State Ferry deck officers began their two-year educational journey at MITAGS.  Chosen from over 300 applicants, this select group of twelve participants has been awarded a full scholarship to the prestigious MITAGS Maritime Apprenticeship Program.  Over the course of the next 24 months, these mariners-in-training will divide their time between classroom and simulator courses at MITAGS-West’s Seattle campus, and underway experience on deck and in the wheelhouses of Washington State Ferries.

To mark the first day of training, Steve Nevey, Director of the Washington State Ferry system, and members of his senior staff, attended a lunchtime celebration and spoke to the new trainees.  Nevey and his team welcomed the new mariners to the Ferries’ team, and spoke highly of the relationship his agency has forged with MITAGS.

This group represents the fourth cohort of Washington State Ferry apprentices trained by MITAGS for the Ferry system. They are the second cohort to receive the full scholarship of training; the inaugural scholarship group launched in 2024. In addition to training new personnel via the two-year apprenticeship, MITAGS has also completed a series of six-month “AB to Mate” programs for the system.  As the name implies, the AB to Mate program enrolls seasoned mariners with years of sea time into an accelerated learning program which provides the skills and knowledge needed to sit for an Unlimited Inland Mate’s license.

For people who want to go to sea and work on the bridge of a ship on the Great Lakes, tugs, and ferries,, the MITAGS Maritime Apprenticeship Program (MAP) offers the fastest track in the industry to a credential as a licensed deck officer. Even with no prior maritime experience, in just over two years, graduates can obtain a U.S. Coast Guard-issued Mate’s license.

To learn more about the program, visit the Marine Apprenticeship Program’s home page by clicking HERE.