I’m very pleased to welcome you, dear reader, to the first iteration of my column, People Power, dedicated to developments in the Pacific Northwest’s marine workforce. While this topic may sound wonky to some, I’ve been in the game as a working Cascadian marine journalist for about a decade now and the consternation about the skilled labor pool, the plight of workers and leaders in the industry, and the future of the next generation is perhaps the most commonly reoccurring theme almost everywhere I’ve turned. Frankly, the scene is painted with chaos and dysfunction, but also scrappy underdogs and inspiring communities rallying to tackle these challenges. Rebuilding busted trades education pipelines. Building and innovating what America needs. Striving to live good, honest, dignified lives in the community.
Shockingly to me, the mainstream news barely touches these foundational-to-civilization topics and developments. Only when the entire Washington state ferry system grinds to a halt or when a foreign power completely dominates us in important sectors like international shipping or arctic icebreakers does the media lazily pen a crisis-style piece, pat itself on the back, and move on—all in the span of a few days. The Pandemic Era revealed to all of us how important essential work is to our very lives. Yet, here we are, back to feigned ignorance from the fourth estate when it comes to the very bones of American civilization: maritime and manufacturing; our children and their education; and the opportunities and challenges to workers and professionals who keep it all going. From the boatyard to the helm, from the interested ocean-gazing teen figuring out his or her life to senior business leaders scouring the land for too-rare, needed welders, People Power is on the beat.
Tacoma’s Tide Flats – A Sign of Hope
For this first installment of People Power, we focus on an innovative and potential paradigm shifting educational breakthrough blossoming right in front of our eyes. We look to the humble tide flats of Tacoma, Washington, where the community—spearheaded by the Port of Tacoma, Pierce County public schools, and many unsung policymakers and business leaders behind the scenes—are seeing the fruits of over a decade of effort. Construction of the two buildings of the Maritime253 campus are well underway, seemingly on schedule since the official groundbreaking ceremony in January 2025. In addition to serving as the new HQ of the Port of Tacoma, Maritime253 will be a fully fledged skills center that aims to facilitate the learning of 600 public school students annually starting in the fall of 2026. At the time of this writing in December 2025, enrollment has officially opened. It’s quite likely that the inaugural Maritime253 students are clicking “submit” and hoping to get in.
“What’s important to understand about Maritime253 is understanding the complexities of the number of industries that are in the tide flats,” explains Dr. Josh Garcia, superintendent of Tacoma Public Schools. Maritime operations, logistics, sustainability, advanced manufacturing, robotics, cybersecurity, and more support the career ecosystem ethos of Maritime253. “What we’ve found already is that kids get excited beyond belief about the opportunities… it wasn’t necessarily being on a boat. It was this opportunity to live in the community, to have economic stability, and a good, living-wage job.”
Speculatively from my perch, this grounded, real-world approach to youth education could work as a powerful magnet for American kids. There’s no end to demoralizing and uncertain realities for the new generation entering the workforce. But in Maritime253, the goal isn’t just to train up qualified and credentialed laborers (although obviously that is vital) for the fickle whims of the market. The real goal is to prepare students for a good life in the community with exciting, productive careers that hold up all of society.
“You start to get a market of youth that get ignited in a whole different way,” explains Dr. Garcia.
“The purpose of it [Maritime253] was to try and unite these governments [the port and school system],” explains Deanna Keller, Port of Tacoma and Northwest Seaport Alliance commissioner. To her reasoning, the primary purpose of the port is to enrich the community through economic development while the school system’s mission is to educate the next generation of citizens and workers. Why not marry the two? Other smaller, more specialized examples of port-school team ups exist among the 75 ports of the state. She cites Walla Walla, Washington, where the port and school system have a joint viticulture program.
“We just happen to have a deep-water port that’s part of transportation and logistics, as well as land leasing,” says Keller. “We do a variety of different things including environmental remediation, which was another perfect segue with this piece of property.” While 2026 will see the completion of the skills center, 2027 will see the completion of the new Port of Tacoma headquarters right next door. The port took the opportunity to undertake expensive environmental remediation efforts as part of the development. “We cleaned it up; we spent quite a bit of money and time doing that. Ended up having to move a railroad track in-between,” Keller continues.
What better way for kids to learn about shipping and logistics than to have a 100-foot dock and a railroad going right through campus?
Glimpse of a Maritime253 Student
“This is not a school, it’s a skill center,” insists Dr. Garcia. “I was touring some folks down there; it has the same equipment at the shops of the tide flats. It’s the same welding equipment. There are cranes in there. There are lifts in there. Some of the equipment is going to be more advanced than what the companies have. It’s the same simulators that the longshoremen will have to put in hours to train on. It’s so much beyond the idea of hands-on learning.”
If all goes to plan, 300 area public school students will arrive at Maritime253 in the morning, 300 in the afternoon. This program will be for juniors and seniors selected after an application process and in addition to their core public school curriculum. Currently, Dr. Garcia reports that plans are in the works to even provide a pathway for students to earn three-year trade degrees while in the Martime253 high school track.
“Some students may go during the summer time or may go on extended day opportunities,” explains Dr. Garcia. “There won’t be a standard one size fits all. A lot of that has to do with what kinds of advanced certification they may be earning.”
He adds that another critical component is on-site job experience with local businesses. These paid, 10-week experiences include financial literary training and high school credit, plus give students a taste of a maritime profession.
I’ll confess, the excitement and passion on display while talking to Dr. Garcia and Commissioner Keller is infectious. In these times, it’s pretty easy to tune into the news and get sucked into a everything-sucks black hole. But Maritime253, and the rapid progress to construction completion and that first day of class in the not-too-distant future, stands as an example that good people are still out there caring and doing good things.
“It’s that belief in working together and collaboration, and the ability to get things done,” replies Keller to what Maritime253 means to her. “To dream. To use the tools that you have available and work together with people. I think that right now we see so much on the news with federal government especially is so polarized and people aren’t getting things done.” She hopes the positivity has a ripple effect. “We had what, 43-day government shutdown… frankly, we were hoping we got this right. And I think that going back out to the community, they are wildly beyond belief over the moon about it. They are extremely proud of it.”
The story of Maritime253 is still being written and Dr. Garcia encourages anybody, especially those in the region’s marine sectors, to reach out to get involved.
“We’ve had over 30 different industrial partners, experts to help us develop and design the curriculum,” says Dr. Garcia. “And we’re always looking for additional partners. If this is going to work, it’s going to take all of us to make it work. And so if you have a passion for the maritime industries, get a hold of us. We want kids from all the South Sound to be successful. They’re going to need mentors. They are going to need support systems. They are going to need opportunities. There are all different ways to be involved.”
In nature, tide flats are known as important nurseries for young, aquatic animals as they mature and ultimately go to sea by fin and wing. It’s only fitting that Maritime253 is set in the same setting and serves a similar purpose for the next generation.
Contact Maritime253
You can learn more about Maritime253 and get involved online at https://maritime253.tacomaschools.org.
