Digital Harbor High School in Baltimore, Maryland, offers students a unique chance to get a head start on a maritime career. The technology-focused high school teaches young people valuable maritime and transportation skills. The idea is to help them launch lucrative careers at the Port of Baltimore. It’s a great opportunity for driven, career-minded teens.
The Maritime Industry and Careers
The maritime industry is booming globally with many career opportunities for individuals with the right skills and training. The industry includes careers on ships but also in ports. According to a recent study, U.S. ports generate $2.89 trillion in economic activity and create more than 21 million jobs.
Young people have a chance to get in on these exciding and stable careers through special training programs. Nearly 50 public and private schools now offer some type of maritime and transportation technology training with a career focus. Some are for careers aboard ships, while others are more port focused, and some train future naval cadets.
The Maritime Transportation & Technology Pathway at Digital Harbor High School
Students in Baltimore are now able to join this growing list of training programs for maritime careers. Digital Harbor High School is a Baltimore City School with a technology focus. Students must win a lottery to attend. Those who get to enroll in the school have the chance to participate in and complete the new and intensive, career-focused Maritime Transportation & Technology Program.
While the school has long hosted maritime programs, this one is new. It is intensive, hands-on, and takes two years to complete. Students in the program learn important career skills but can also earn professional certifications. The program includes training for both sea-going and land-based port careers.
Students can choose to add a third year to their program to complete an internship. The school partners with the Downtown Sailing Center, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Project Liberty Ship, and others to provide valuable internships.
Digital Harbor’s maritime transportation program currently has space for 31 students. The administrators are hoping to expand it to allow up to 50 students to join the program at a time. This would open up more career opportunities for more young people in the area. Additional internships and mentorship programs are also in the works as the program expands and grows.
About Maritime and Port Careers
Careers in the maritime industry are numerous and varied. Students like those in the Baltimore program have a world of job opportunities open to them in the future. Maritime workers are employed in ports, on cruise ships and shipping vessels, as engineers and sailors, and as specialists like electricians, welders plumbers, and more.
Baltimore students have access to one of the busiest ports in the U.S. The Port of Baltimore is in the top 20 of U.S. ports and is one of the biggest import and export locations for automobiles. Students in the program may choose to go directly into careers here, but they will also be prepared for college maritime programs or apprenticeships. The future is bright for these young maritime workers.