Manns Harbor – An internship co-op
program between the North Carolina Ferry Division and the College of the
Albemarle’s Manteo campus will give welding students valuable real-world
experience when it kicks off at the State Shipyard this summer.
Nine high school and college students toured the Shipyard with
Ferry Division officials last week in advance of the internships, which are
slated to begin in May and end in August.
The internship program came about when the Ferry Division
recognized the need to bolster its workforce by recruiting skilled labor from
the surrounding area. The College of the Albemarle’s Manteo campus was a natural
fit.
“We appreciate this partnership and look forward to working with
the students this summer,” said Ferry Division Deputy Director Jed Dixon. “It
will give the students some valuable hands-on experience in the trade, and it
will potentially give us a valuable local talent pool to fill our openings.”
Welding is the only trade involved in the first year of the
program, but the Ferry Division and the College of the Albemarle hope to expand
it in the coming years.