Online boat building course may benefit apprentices

Online boat building course may benefit apprentices

Apprenticeships can offer students years of valuable experience, mentoring and multiple career options. These programs are often in industries such as the arts, construction and business administration, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those who wish to become an apprentice, or who may be currently participating in a similar program, may benefit from enrolling in online education.

For example, the University of Wisconsin-Marinette (UW Marinette) recently announced that it will offer a class for aspiring boat builders. The course was designed for apprentices in the industry, provides an introductory overview of shipbuilding terminology, marine materials, safety issues, classification societies and fabrication strategies.

Introduction to Shipbuilding will be provided via live streaming video once per week. An independent lesson and graded assignments will be posted on the school's online learning platform, which is called Desire2Learn. The course will be offered through UW Marinette's Continuing Education program.

"This specialized course, [could be] highly valued by shipyards across the country, including Marinette Marine," said Sharon Huntley, director of Continuing Education.

Students may enroll in the class for certification or in pursuit of an associate's degree at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

According to recent data from the Sloan Consortium, approximately 4.6 million students were enrolled in at least one online course during the 2008-2009 academic year.

By Mark Danson