Boat works
Landing School students Alton O’Connor, front, Paul Kimbro, back left,
and Freeland Ackert sand a small wooden boat that must be completed by
graduation on June 16.
Almost every boat built at the Landing School
will be sold. (Adam Chabot photo) With post-education
costs rising, the job market recovering and high school graduates
mulling over the investment of a four-year degree,
The Landing School on
River Road in Arundel is working on resurging a trade school education.
The Landing School is a post-secondary educational institution
focusing on the technical skills needed in the marine industry, such as
small boat building, cruising boat building and yacht design, among
others.
Bob DeColfmacker, president of The Landing School, said there’s a
renewed interest in trade schools because of the weighted financial
investment of a fouryear college or university.
“Today, there’s really no protection. So many jobs can be digitized
and outsourced.” DeColfmacker said. “Trade skills can’t be digitized. It
involves people.”
The Landing School was founded in 1978 by
John Burgess and Helen Tupper with the hope of keeping the trade of
wooden boat building in Maine alive. Since it was founded, the school
has expanded from being housed in a cow barn to offering associate’s
degrees in four different concentrations in multiple buildings. To date,
The Landing School has graduated more than 1,300 students, six of whom
have returned as instructors.
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