PACT Professional Apprenticeship Career Tracks

Core Skills

• deck seamanship support
• mooring and line handling
• basic engineering watch support
• aviation flight line support
• preventive maintenance assistance
• basic equipment troubleshooting
• safe hand and power tool use
• following maintenance procedures
• on the job skills development
• teamwork across shipboard work centers

Civilian Career Paths

• Aircraft Maintenance
• Commercial Aviation
• Mechanical Engineering
• Facilities Management

Training & Development

What the Work Involves

• Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when destinations are reached.
• Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks.
• Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.
• Read pressure and temperature gauges or displays and record data in engineering logs.
• Stand watch in ships' bows or bridge wings to look for obstructions in a ship's path or to locate navigational aids, such as buoys or lighthouses.

Typical preparation for these civilian roles: a high school diploma and some on-the-job training.