By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

Historically, Maine has been home to some of the world’s most talented boat builders, and as any student at Kennebunk’s Landing School of Boatbuilding and Design knows, it takes much more than a handful of nails and a few sheets of plywood to build today’s watercraft. The modern boatbuilding industry has become sophisticated enough for the Landing School to begin the process to become a nationally accredited educational institution by offering associate degrees of applied sciences, specifically in marine systems technology and marine design. 

Two weeks ago a joint committee on education and cultural affairs unanimously voted in favor of bill LD 2025, which would allow the Landing School to begin the accreditation process with the Maine Department of Education. 

Landing School President Barry Acker said he has been working on implementing the new programs for about a year and a half. 

“We have students from everywhere, who go to work all over the world. We’re trying to get our reach to be a little more world-wide,” Acker said. 

The Landing School programs teach students much more than just boatbuilding, including water management, electrical systems and composite training for small watercraft and mega yachts, Acker said. 

Scott Lamberg is one of the marine systems technology and marine design teachers at the Landing School and says his 25 students spend much of their time keeping up with the industry.

“The amount of technology that is going into these boats is staggering. You have bigger boats and you get bigger, more complex systems,” he said.

Lamberg said while the associate degree accreditation won’t change the length of the two-year programs, it will allow a more concise structure for students.

“The second year of the program will become an extension of the first. We’ll be able to move into refrigeration, marina management software and some AutoCAD too,” he said.

Steven Dee, 31, is in his second year at the Landing School, and said he doesn’t regret not being eligible for the associate degree programs, which will be offered after he graduates should the bill pass Legislation. 

“I’ll walk out of here with four [American Boat and Yacht Council] certificates. It’s going to be the 18 and 19-year-olds that benefit from the program. Right now there’s a lot of career-changers like myself, but for the younger guys, I think it’s perfect,” said Dee, a former finance consultant and sail maker. 

Warren Kaericher, executive director of the Atlantic Challenge traditional boatbuilding school in Rockland, said there are also financial incentives for schools to offer accredited degree programs.

“Unfortunately, students can’t receive loans with an interest rate much different from a credit card in applying to a non-accredited school,” he said.

Kaericher said becoming accredited is often more about increasing enrollment and finance options than a change in curriculum. 

“[The Atlantic Challenge School] is in the process of heading in that direction,” he said. 

John Mills, an administrator with the Boat School in Eastport said they offered an associate degree program before Husson College took over administration of the school, which was originally based at Southern Maine Community College.

“We suffered from some attrition because students were being required to take academic courses which they weren’t interested in,” Mills said. “That’s the nature of the beast, students who want to be boat builders when they’re not in class are on their computers looking at pictures of boats. They really just want to get into the field.”

 Mills said the Boat School offers a variety of certificates and diplomas in their one- and two-year boat building programs which students can take as part of their associate degree with Husson College.

Bill LD 2025 is sponsored by Rep. Gary Connor (D-Kennebunk), who said the Senate’s unanimous vote “positions us well for enacting this Legislation and connecting higher education opportunities to Maine’s heritage marine industries” in a press release. 

The bill  passed in the Senate, with an “ought to pass as amended” endorsement. 

“Typically when a bill is accompanied by an ‘ought to pass’ recommendation it passes through the Legislature pretty quickly. It shows bi-partisan support,” Heidi Overbeck, a legislative aid to Connor, said. 

Acker said he hopes to offer the associate degree courses by September 2008.