Innovation
Painting a more buoyant future
How heritage and tradition are bringing new talent to the marine industry
A training program designed to help young people find employment in the marine industry might not sound particularly unusual.
But there’s something about the new Buoyant Beginnings pre-apprenticeship course in Washington State in the US that makes it stand out.
It’s based in Bellingham, which was originally inhabited by the peoples of the Lummi Nation, and half the participants of the inaugural Buoyant Beginnings program were made up of young people from the indigenous tribe, which today numbers around 5,000.
One of the instructors is AkzoNobel’s Dave Atwater, who was invited to give practical, hands-on advice about applying marine coatings as part of the intensive six-week course.
“I’m passionate about getting more young people interested in following careers in the marine industry,” explains Dave, a Technical Sales Rep for the company’s Yacht Coatings business. “I teach a variety of different courses and we also supply some of our products to help the students understand how paint is applied and discover their different functionalities.”
Traditional skills
There’s also another reason why introducing new talent to the industry is so important. “A lot of the applicators we work with are in their 50s and 60s and the bench behind them is not very deep,” Dave adds. “There’s a huge shortage of people who can work with their hands, so this program is also designed to help funnel people back into a trade which requires traditional skills.”
Which is perhaps why the Lummi Nation was so well represented when the Buoyant Beginnings course was launched. Because their history and heritage is very much tied to the sea, emphasized by the fact that they honor the salmon as a sacred resource.
“They have a very strong marine history and use a fishing technique known as reef netting, which we teach as part of the course,” continues Dave. “Keeping them connected with their culture and heritage was a real pleasure and we even had help from a gentleman named Joe, who is one of the Lummi Nation elders.”
Due to its early success in helping at-risk youth aged 18-29 who are struggling with employment, the plan now is to run Buoyant Beginnings as a regular program. Says Dave: “We’ve had some excellent feedback and it’s definitely something we want to continue.”
