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Anacortes Marine Technology Center

The Marine Technology Center is a satellite program of the Northwest Career & Technical Academy which is the newest Washington State Skills Center created to provide innovative, high level, hands-on professional training for area high school students. The Marine Center is the first of its kind to offer a blended model of instruction by partnering with the Skagit Valley College Marine Technology Program and the Center of Excellence for Marine Technology and Manufacturing.

Located on the waterfront, within the Commercial Marine District of Anacortes, the Northwest Career & Technical Academy (NCTA) Campus will be a new educational facility for instruction of preparatory programs related to Anacortes' thriving marine industry.  When complete, this facility will operate as an integral part of the K-12 system for Skagit County high schools providing students the opportunity to obtain job preparation skills through hands on education, applied academics, and technology training for work force placement and advancement in the current job market.  This campus will also operate in partnership with Skagit Valley College to accommodate and expand their existing Marine Maintenance Technology program.  The Academy has partnered with the Port of Anacortes resulting in a 140 seat community lecture hall that is open to the community during non-school hours.

As a satellite branch to the larger NCTA Mount Vernon Campus, the new single-story building consists of both educational and 'real life' spaces; classrooms, labs, a lecture hall, and administrative offices making up the building's 16,328 sq. ft. footprint.  The campus will offer industry-defined technical education programs focused around boat building, repair, and maintenance of recreational and small commercial craft.  The initial phase of this project will include instructional programs taught within four specialized marine industry laboratory areas: a Systems Lab to teach on-board plumbing, refrigeration, electrical and navigation systems; a Composite Lab for fabrication and repair applications, such as resin and fiberglass; a Mechanical Lab for instruction and training in repair and maintenance of inboard engines, drive train systems, inboard outdrive propulsion systems and outboard engines; and a Wood Lab to teach marine carpentry.  

These four main lab areas will have the ability to focus on individualized program instruction while also offering the flexibility to open up onto a Central Project Area allowing the students a more inter-curriculum approach.  This area will provide a large space where the students can work together on a common project integrating specific lab disciplines directed at a single project.  The benefit of this shared area is that the students can improve their skills by applying what they have learned from the individual labs by being involved on a group project that incorporates all the disciplines required to coordinate repair and maintenance of marine systems and procedures for a common unified result.  Opening off of the Central Project Area with a large, glazed garage door is a 6,000 square foot outdoor work yard, with expansive covered work areas and 2000 square foot storage building.

As with the main campus, the Marine Technology Center has been designed as a teaching tool in itself.  With the integration of sustainable technologies, including a 49 kw photovoltaic array, geothermal heating, and natural lighting in all teaching areas the facility will educate through it's reduced carbon footprint and inspire environmental stewardship.