September 17, 2026
By Charmila Ajmera
During the Duwamish Valley Community Equity Program (DVCEP) 2026-2029 strategic planning process, Port of Seattle staff met with neighbors and organizations from across the Duwamish Valley to learn about their priorities and how the Port can better meet community needs. A consistent theme we heard was the need for more exposure for youth to learn about career pathways into Port-related industries like aviation, maritime, construction, and green jobs. Most of the Port’s current workforce development programs focus on adults, so there is a gap in programming for youth under the age of 18.
Working with the Port Community Action Team (PCAT), Port staff took this feedback in stride and began scoping out potential field trip opportunities for youth. We also reached out to organizations that serve youth in the Duwamish Valley through partners like Duwamish Valley Sustainability Association (DVSA), Duwamish Valley Youth Corps (DVYC), Cultivate South Park, and the Georgetown Youth Council. Port staff have also begun working with Chief Sealth High School, which many Duwamish Valley youth attend.
As a result of these partnerships, we were able to offer four different career-connected learning opportunities between June and August of this year!
Field trip to learn about skilled trades
Students from Chief Sealth High School visited the Port of Seattle Marine Maintenance shop to learn about skilled trades and crafts including electrical, plumbing, auto mechanics, carpentry, millwrights, and painters. They met Port staff who work in these trades, participated in hands-on activities, and learned about career pathways and union apprenticeship opportunities. After the event, one student shared that their favorite part of the experience was “Checking out all the different trades, telling us their experiences, and how what pathway they took to get where they are in their career.” Another shared, “It was very interesting to see the different career paths and opportunities available at the Port of Seattle, and it definitely motivated me to look into their future job openings and internships.”
Hands on exposure to maritime skills
Also in June, the Port partnered with Sound Experience, an organization dedicated to exposing youth to careers in maritime, to bring 30 students from DVYC and DVSA aboard the Schooner Adventuress.
Youth rotated through interactive learning stations onboard to learn about basic maritime skills like navigation, knot tying, and serving as a crew member on a ship. They also learned about careers in marine biology and ocean sustainability.
Learning auto mechanic skills
In July, about 30 youth from Cultivate South Park’s summer internship program gathered in the parking lot of the Duwamish River Community Hub to learn about career pathways in auto mechanics and learn basic skills like changing a tire, checking the engine, and working safely with heavy equipment.
Port staff from the Marine Maintenance auto shop and the SEA Fleet Aviation Management teams shared their own career journeys, showed a day in the life of their jobs, and talked about pathways into careers in auto mechanics.
Green jobs learning fair
Finally, in August the Port partnered with the Georgetown Youth Council to host an experiential learning fair for Duwamish Valley students to learn about careers in habitat restoration, salmon recovery, air quality, solar energy, sustainable construction, clean energy work in HVAC, electrical, other skilled trades, and more.
Youth talked directly to representatives from companies and organizations to learn more about these green jobs and hear about available opportunities and pathways to careers in these fields. Each station also had an interactive element or display for hands-on learning, showing what a day in different jobs might be like!
Throughout the summer, over 100 young people from the Duwamish Valley were able to access these opportunities and learn about port-related career opportunities, pathways, and programs. This is just the start, and in the future we hope to offer multiple events each quarter and expand our partnerships to include more youth-serving organizations around the Duwamish Valley, as well as Concord Elementary School and Denny Middle School.
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