In a small community on the edge of Lake Huron in Michigan's upper peninsula, students at the Marine Trades Institute are learning more than just how to build boats.

It's a launchpad into something much bigger from every handcrafted plank and panel.

As Jamie Mankowitz shows us, they're learning how to build a career.

- [Jamie] Once known as the Great Lakes Boat Building School, this one of a kind institute in Cedarville is celebrating 20 years of setting sail, expanding in both scope and size.

It all began as a grassroots startup by local community members and wooden boat enthusiasts who didn't wanna see the craft disappear.

It's not your average classroom.

Students work hands-on from propeller to helm.

- Come here to go to school like it's a workday.

Students start their day at 8:30 in the morning.

Class is actually done at 2:30, but they stay till 4:30 working on their projects and things like that.

You know, the whole goal here is to teach students to be prepared to go to work, put in a full workday, right?

- [Jamie] Whether it's electronics, engines, or restoration, they are trained in every part of a boat.

- Bow to stern, we learned to fix everything including the bow and transoms.

Like we repair the body, the piping, the electrical, the electrical portions of it, the engines, obviously, all the cables, connections.

We can go from anywhere from your little tin boats up to multimillion-dollar yachts after we get out of this school.

- [Jamie] Their approach is rooted in real world expectations.

Students clock in like it's a job.

They work off actual service tickets.

And they leave with industry-recognized certifications.

- What I really liked about this particular school was the way the program was set up to teach us about all the different aspects.

It wasn't so much focused on building one specific boat from start to finish.

It was about what are the skills that you need to learn on how to problem solve, on how to work on many different types of boats, whether it be a new build, a restoration, really about how to approach the different challenges that you run into in a boat shop and how to work through those.

And it was applicable to pretty much everything.

So one of the things that we really stress here at the school now is how do you become a lifelong learner?

And how do you learn how to source the information you need and move forward through a problem?

- [Jamie] Students come from all walks of life, about 30% are veterans, another third are career changers, and the rest, right outta high school.

Students range in age from 18 to 72.

- Another thing that's interesting that takes place is we always have people that already have degrees in something come to school here.

And I'd say probably about half of our population does, they already have some kind of advanced degree.

Not uncommon that we have someone come in with master's degree or a PhD to come to school here and learn 'cause they wanna do something with their hands.

- [Jamie] There are scholarships and sponsorship opportunities for the year long program.

And demand for graduates is strong.

The school boasts nearly 100% job placement.

Thanks in part to major industry partners.

- They're getting great careers in the Midwest and in beautiful locations.

They're finding great careers, you know, they're starting out with great salaries and if they get with the right employer, they get the right incentives, they can be making a really great living for themselves.

- [Jamie] With enrollment climbing and programs expanding, a new facility is in the works to double their capacity.

- Because of the growth that we've experienced here with enrollment, you know, we're looking to double and we're gonna put up a brand new building, which is gonna be super exciting here in the next year.

We're breaking ground now so.

- [Jamie] Even for those who don't end up working in the marine industry, the training sets them up for future success.

For many, graduation isn't just an ending, it's a launch.

- My very best day is graduation, when moms, and dads, and grandmas, and grandpas, and spouses, and, you know, friends are coming and going, oh my god, this has been a transformational year for so and so, but coming in here and walking in the doors here is just an experience that you can't understand it till you do it.