What to expect

Hello all,

I recently turned in all of the necessary application materials for the Workboat Academy. I am super excited about this because it seems to be the perfect fit for me. I have read just about everything I can about the program and understand that acceptance is contingent on having a Partner Company take you on as a cadet/apprentice. That sort of changes the game compared to applying to any other educational program where you have a pretty clear picture or timeline of when you will find out if you are accepted to the school and when you can begin your studies.

Does anyone here who has had the opportunity to attend the Academy know more or less how long it could take for me to hear back anything? I am interested to start in Baltimore in October. As I type this it is the end of May. I wonder if I have applied soon enough.

Thanks!

I would suggest looking as hard as you can for a company to hire aka “sponsor” you ASAP, like last week ASAP. That will be the sticking point…

Slick

Ok, what you just said has blown my mind. I was under the impression that you submit your application to the Academy and they distribute it out to their Partner Companies. Am I wrong? On my emails I indicated my career goals and a list of Partner Companies that seem to fit those goals but I never was given the impression that I needed to conduct a job search? Really confused now.

Perhaps they do try to find your spot for you…but based on the way things are with the industry now, I wouldn’t trust everything to them finding you a spot. May want to start looking on your own just to be sure. Ask them about it. Leave nothing to chance is my advice.

They will do all of the leg work. All you have to do is submit your application and sit back. I don’t think it is a matter of your suitability for a particular sponsor company as much as it is a matter of having 35 applications for deck department and only 32 sponsors. (Note: Those numbers are totally made up. I have no idea the number of sponsor companies or applicants.)

[QUOTE=gman1984;162624]Slick

Ok, what you just said has blown my mind. I was under the impression that you submit your application to the Academy and they distribute it out to their Partner Companies. Am I wrong? On my emails I indicated my career goals and a list of Partner Companies that seem to fit those goals but I never was given the impression that I needed to conduct a job search? Really confused now.[/QUOTE]

gman1984,

[U][B]Txwooley is 100% correct[/B][/U]. Not every workboat company is partner of the WBA, so therefore the WBA will help you find a sponsor. If you are a suitable candidate, you will then interview with several partner companies. Those companies will make the decision if they want you as a cadet. It’s all about having the right fit of personalities. Remember the sponsor companies are looking at a cadet as a future employee.

Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions(I’m one of the instructors at MITAGS-PMI West Coast)