Marcus Maximin talked about his family and his maritime technology apprenticeship at the 2014 Advanced Technological Education Principal Investigators Conference in Washington, D.C.

The notion of family as a motivation, inspiration, and support comes up again and again when Marcus Maximin talks about the four-year maritime technology apprenticeship program at Tidewater Community College.

He acknowledges it can be "tough" working eight-to-10 hour days and then going to class two evenings a week.

"To tell you the truth, what keeps me going is my two boys. They are 12 and 4. And every time I walk in that door I get a hug and that, "Daddy!" That keeps me going. I do it for them," he explained.

12 Maritime Employers Cover Apprentices' Education Costs

The challenges of combining work with mentoring by a journeyman at a maritime company and college classes over four years are balanced by the fact that either employers or scholarships cover all educational costs for participants in the U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program developed by the Southeast Maritime and Transportation (SMART) Center with advice from maritime industry employers.

"It's debt-free education while earning a full-time salary," explained Sandra Weber, program manager for the SMART Center. The maritime registered apprentice program is one of several career pathways the SMART Center curriculum offers at 14 partner colleges (located on the East Coast, West Coast, Gulf Coast, and Great Lakes) to help people enter maritime and transportation industry careers.

See the SMART Center's videos for more information about various maritime technology careers and career paths.

Family Matters

"Just by knowing that what I'm doing is going to provide a better life for them, that keeps me going," Maximin said of the motivation his children provide.

His inspiration comes from his father, who told him when he was young: "When you want something, you've got to go for it. Nobody's going to do it for you. You've got to put one foot in front of the other and get it done, and don't let anybody tell you, 'You can't get it done.'" Maximin was born in St. Lucia and moved to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, when he was 14 years old. That is where he finished high school and joined the Navy.

The "close-knit family" relationships among his colleagues at work are another source of support that is helping Maximin succeed at work and in his college classes. "I do have the support of my co-workers, and my manager and everybody else. It's a big family," he said.

One Apprentice's Career Path

Before enrolling in the apprenticeship program Maximin was retired from the Navy, in which he served for 20 years, and was working as an electrician for a company that supplies maintenance engineering and other services to the U.S. Navy and the commercial maritime industry.

In the SMART Center maritime technician program, 12 maritime companies employ apprentices full time and expect them to take college courses in their off hours that lead to associate degrees. The U.S. Navy stipulates the degrees it expects its contractors' employees to have.

All the companies pay apprentices' tuition and book costs during their first year, as well as full-time salaries and benefits. Many maritime employers cover educational expenses over all four years of the apprentice program. However, some maritime apprentices in Virginia receive state scholarships that cover the last three years of educational costs.

Maximin's employer also awards apprentices incremental raises as they complete each year of the apprenticeship in addition to the raises that they and others in their job category receive. When the apprentices complete their programs and attain both journeyman certification in a trade and associate of applied science in maritime technologies degrees, they also get significant pay raises, Weber said.

Although he is still an apprentice, Maximin has been promoted to scheduler. "In five years [of working in the maritime industry] my life’s been pretty good, I can’t complain,” he said.

Maximin is on track to complete his apprenticeship in autumn 2015. Being a journeyman with a degree in maritime technology will make him eligible for supervisory positions with his employer. That is something he wants for himself and his sons.