For the past three decades in a shipshape workshop in St. Paul, thousands of young Minnesotans have embarked on a life-changing journey simply by building a boat. The end result becomes much more than the gleaming wood vessel in front of them. Many are inspired to develop the skills to launch a successful career in the trades or manufacturing.
In fact, 98% of the more than 9,000 young people who’ve gone through nonprofit Urban Boatbuilders’ (UBB) apprenticeship program either continue in an education or training program or are placed in a job. It’s a big accomplishment for young people who’ve felt lost at sea during or after high school. They’re students who floundered in academic settings or whose interests and skills weren’t aligned with the traditional college track.
“Boat building is a really great vehicle for engaging young people,” says Executive Director Marc Hosmer. “It’s pretty amazing to see the transformation that happens.”
Cozy Robinson of St. Paul was 17 years old when he arrived at UBB’s workshop on University Avenue. He’d been attending a transition school called Focus Beyond that works with special education students. He spent the next three years “learning a ton” about woodworking at UBB as well as “how much communication and teamwork matter.”
Robinson’s career epiphany came while he worked on a wilderness traveler canoe. “I realized that carpentry is for me,” he says. “I liked the hands-on part, and I like seeing that I built something.” Now, he’s searching for an apprenticeship in woodworking. He dreams of being “a full-time carpenter who goes around and fixes houses.”
Maiden voyage
What is it about boat building that changes lives? The organization started 30 years ago, when community organizers, educators, and wooden boat builders came together to inspire kids fresh out of the juvenile correction system. Studies show that learners who actively participate and take an interest in their academic education are more likely to achieve higher levels of learning, particularly if they do it in a group. It’s called experiential learning.
Today, UBB’s mission focuses on identifying 16- to 21-year-olds who might have an interest in working with their hands in some capacity and who have been traditionally underrepresented in the trades and manufacturing industries. It receives referrals from teachers, counselors, schools, and communities. Hosmer says applicants must have some barrier to employment — such as their socioeconomic status or a disability.
Discovering new horizons
For many of these new apprentices, it’s their first job (it pays $15 an hour). They work three days a week, anywhere from three months to a year, on a crew of eight to 10 young people. Each crew makes one boat — typically a canoe, rowing skiff, or kayak. “When you get a lot of people going on one project, it lends itself to all sorts of skill development,” Hosmer says.
Besides the technical piece, he says the experience teaches young people the kind of “soft skills” that help people become successful, from learning how to work as a team to problem solving on the job to communicating effectively and receiving and giving feedback. It can be a lifeline for them as they gain financial literacy and learn how to improve their mental health and become advocates for themselves.
UBB staff also arrange field trips for participants so they can see a variety of worksites that offer union jobs, construction jobs, or other opportunities in trades and manufacturing.
“We’ll have young people come in the door with their head down, just very closed off, very reserved body language,” Hosmer says. “And by the end of their time in the program, they’re walking in with all this confidence, pride in who they are, what they can do, and what they are doing.”
UBB also connects with kids through a partnership program for metro area schools, after-school programs, summer camps, and community centers. They supply an instructor plus tools and materials — no workshop required. Projects range from boats to longboards, which students are then free to keep.
Happy landings
UBB’s graduates offer more than work experience. Hosmer says employers would be hiring somebody who wants to be there, who wants to work with their hands or create new things — and they are ready for that next step in their life. “The skills they have are really amazing and powerful to see.”
As a testament to UBB’s successful program, Hosmer says he often hears from companies who say, “‘We have openings, who do you have for us?’” He says the organization is working on building relationships with employers.
UBB also plans to create a small manufacturing business in which program participants or alumni would make small wooden products. Hosmer sees this not only as an additional skill builder, but also as a vehicle for young people to understand entrepreneurship.
Return to the Summer 2025 issue of Enterprise Minnesota® magazine.
