Opening a Port of Entry Into Maritime Careers for Bay Area Teens

This week a new generation of young people from across the Bay Area will see themselves in maritime careers they never knew existed, and our region will take another step toward building a stronger bridge between education and one of its most important industries.

Over the past year while building Ridgeline, I spent a lot of time walking shipyards, touring ports, meeting ferry operators, and talking with maritime employers. I've realized two things:

• The Bay Area is home to one of the nation's largest maritime economies. Across the country, the industry is facing a 250,000-worker shortage.
• Almost none of the young people we serve know these high-wage careers exist.

That's why this week we're launching Hands-On Deck, a three-day paid maritime career exploration program for 50 young people from across the Bay Area.

Students from more than 25 high schools will explore careers spanning vessel operations, marine engineering, skilled trades, logistics, and international trade. They'll work alongside maritime professionals, tackle authentic simulations, build durable skills like collaboration and decision-making under pressure, and leave with a clearer understanding of where they want to go next, whether that's in maritime or another field.

The disconnect between education and employment

Just like healthcare and advanced manufacturing, the maritime industry offers stable, high-wage careers with tremendous opportunity for growth, including career pathways that do and do not require bachelor's degrees.

Yet most young people never find their way into these careers. It's a coordination challenge across employers, colleges, and high schools.

• High schools and colleges are preparing students academically. But they aren’t designed to track shifting labor market demand and too often academic programs are not directly tied to the skills and jobs employers need most, especially given the impact of AI on the job market.
• Employers know the talent they need but don't have the capacity to build relationships and talent pipelines with dozens of high schools across the region.
• And many young people are asked to make major decisions about their futures before they've had the chance to explore careers through meaningful work-based learning.

The result?

• Young people want access to high-wage careers they can't reach.
• At the same time, employers have high-demand jobs they can't fill.

That's why we created Ridgeline, a career pathways intermediary that connects education and industry.

Building a stronger talent pipeline for the Bay Area's maritime industry

I'm full of optimism about what's possible when these systems work together.

For Hands-On Deck, we're partnering with Cal Poly Maritime Academy — the only degree-granting maritime academy on the West Coast — and the Working Waterfront Coalition, a Bay Area employer-led initiative connecting trained workers to maritime employers across the region. The program is made possible through Contra Costa County Measure X funds provided by the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County.

Each partner brings something essential. Working Waterfront employers help define the skills and careers the industry needs. Cal Poly Maritime connects students to postsecondary education and faculty expertise. Ridgeline coordinates the partnerships and designs the student experience so young people can move from career exploration toward college, credentials, apprenticeships, and employment.

Hands-On Deck is the first step in this broader strategy.

Over three days, students will work alongside industry professionals, tackle authentic challenges, and explore careers across three pathways:

• Navigate It: Deck officers, vessel operations, navigation, and commanding vessels.
• Build & Fix It: Marine engineering, shipyard trades, welding, machining, and technical systems.
• Move the World: Port operations, logistics, supply chains, and international trade.

It’s incredible to see this coming to life.

Students are joining us from more than 25 Bay Area high schools, eighty percent come from low-income backgrounds, and nearly 90 percent identify as people of color.

Here are a few insights they shared during the application process:

“There is a lack of representation of women in the trade industry. Being a Latina girl, I’m very grateful for this opportunity to break barriers of what is possible for people like me.”

Hands-On Deck is an opportunity to learn something real and useful this summer. It’s honestly intimidating, but that’s part of why I want to do it.”

I'm excited to meet these students this week, watch them try on careers they may never have considered, and help them discover what's next.

The beginning of a pathway

Hands-On Deck is the front door to Ridgeline's grades 11-14 maritime pathway model.

Our goal is to help young people move from career exploration to deeper work-based learning, college, credentials, pre-apprenticeships, and ultimately high-wage employment — all co-designed with employers so our pathways are backwards-mapped from employers' hiring needs.

My hope is that a few years from now we'll look back on this week as the week:

• A new generation of young people in the Bay Area first saw themselves in maritime careers they never knew existed, and
• our region took another step toward building a stronger bridge between education and one of its most important industries.

I can't wait to see what our students, our partners, and the Ridgeline team discover this week. Thanks for following along!

Information for media

Members of the media can see career-connected learning in action at Hands-On Deck this Friday, July 24. From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., see students work alongside professionals to complete industry simulations and team-based projects and presentations. From 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., there will be availability for interviews, photos, and on-camera opportunities.

To RSVP or for more information, please contact: Bonnie Shea, 508-813-7431, bonnie@ridgelinepathways.org or Natalia Battaglia, 202-739-1322, natalia@whiteboardadvisors.com.

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