Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building

The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding (NWSWB) is an accredited post-secondary trade school that teaches craftsmanship through boatbuilding and marine systems. The school is located on an 8-acre waterfront campus on the south shore of Port Townsend Bay in Washington state. Founded in 1981, the school has taught more than 1,700 graduates who have found jobs in boatyards and other marine trades, construction, and woodworking trades. NWSWB works closely with a group of employers on its Program Advisory Committee to ensure that programs provide training and hands-on experience relevant to today’s jobs. In Washington State the economic impact from maritime businesses is $17.1 billion a year in direct revenue.  The school provides a path to living-wage work for young people who are facing escalating costs of higher education and people seeking retraining, while meeting a critical need for skilled workers in the maritime trades in Kitsap, Jefferson and Clallam Counties, Seattle, and beyond.

The school's programs are approved by the Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board and accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, which requires independent verification that at least 70% of each student cohort find jobs using the skills they learned at the school. NWSWB is approved to participate in Federal Student Aid programs, including the Federal Pell Grant program, the William D. Ford/Stafford Loan program, and the Plus Loan program. NWSWB also qualifies for all chapters of veteran's aid for those who qualify, and has been designated a "Veteran Supportive Campus" by the Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs.