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Annapolis apprenticeship pilot places one trainee, aims to scale with more employer flexibility
Summary
The city-backed Maritime Apprenticeship Program has placed one apprentice at Safe Harbor Port Annapolis and has four employers enrolled; sponsors said they will refine state-required work processes to include smaller specialty firms and seek an additional $50,000 in next year’s budget to expand recruitment.
Annapolis’ new city-funded maritime apprenticeship program has placed its first apprentice and is working to broaden employer participation so it can scale, program sponsors told the Economic Matters Committee on April 1.
John Stfanchek, director of the Marine Trades Association of Maryland, said the pilot launched last fall and that the association serves as the program sponsor. "We now have... the very first apprentice is actively working in the program and giving us a real-world foundation to build from," he said.
Richard Krolac, service manager at Safe Harbor Port Annapolis, described the marina as a roughly 300-slip operation with a workforce of about 50 and praised the first apprentice, Andrew Costello, a Broadneck High School graduate. "He's just a great kid," Krolac said, adding that the program helps pay for additional schooling, tooling and mentoring that the business could not afford on its own.
Sponsors detailed the program’s structure: 2,000 hours of on-the-job training plus 144 hours of related instruction, with the Marine Trades Association handling administration and state coordination. Stfanchek said the apprenticeship required approvals from the Maryland Department of Labor, Anne Arundel County Workforce Development and the Maryland Apprenticeship Training Council before it could operate.
Committee members pressed sponsors on scale and funding. Alderman Savage asked about goals for participation; Stfanchek said the first-year target was 1–3 apprentices (the program is at one) and the second-year aim is 5–10 apprentices. Savage noted the city has already provided a $50,000 grant and said he would "stress" continuing the program in the next budget; sponsors said most of the current grant funded administrative coordination, including the staff role run by Emily Decker.
Presenters said four employers are signed up to participate (Port Annapolis, North Point Yacht Sales and Services, Annapolis Gel Coat, and Chesapeake Dockside Services) but that the program’s current work-process definitions are tailored to full-service shops and must be broadened to allow smaller, specialty firms to join. "We need to refine our work processes to make them more flexible," Emily Decker said, describing ongoing work with the state apprenticeship navigator.
Stfanchek said the Maryland Apprenticeship Training Council meets infrequently and that the presenters expect updated work processes to be before the council by its May meeting, enabling summer recruitment. Sponsors described outreach to Anne Arundel County Public Schools and the Seafarers International Union as part of efforts to build a longer pipeline.
Committee members emphasized employer retention and hiring after completion. "It's a commitment to...the employer saying we are investing in you because we want to have you with us long term," a presenter said when asked whether apprentices were guaranteed jobs with training employers.
The committee expressed strong support for continuing and expanding the program, with members saying they want to fund another $50,000 in the next budget cycle and asking staff for updates as the program refines its framework and recruits more apprentices.
The Economic Matters Committee heard the update but did not take a formal vote on program funding at the meeting.
