IYRS Secures $10,000 Grant for Boatbuilding Program

NEWPORT, RI—IYRS School of Technology and Trades announced Thursday that it has received a $10,000 grant from The Hagerty Education Program at America's Car Museum.

The grant "grant supports the research, design, build, and testing, of an alternative boat in the first year of the IYRS Boatbuilding & Restoration program," according to an IYRS news release.

The prototype is a 13-foot plank on frame harbor launch, designed by Nat Herreshoff and built by Herreshoff Manufacturing Company in the early 1900s. The vessel "consists of both challenging hull construction and the inclusion of an electric engine and associated mechanicals."

“We value our growing partnership with The Hagerty Education Program at America’s Car Museum,” said IYRS president Terry Nathan. “This generous support is vital to IYRS’ capacity to be innovative in its educational curricula, while supporting the workforce readiness and career success of our students.”

The grant program is funded by collector vehicle and classic boat enthusiasts to serve youth and young adults on a path to a career in automotive or marine restoration and preservation.

IYRS School of Technology & Trades is a leading educational institution specializing in the marine trades, boatbuilding and restoration fields. Its accredited schools include a School of Composites Technology, School of Boatbuilding & Restoration, School of Marine Systems and more programs under development.

IYRS boasts a 90 percent job placement rate, which they say is the result of the deep technical skills students—including many women and veterans—cultivate while attending the school.

The school is often relied upon by other institutions of higher learning for collaboration, offering short-term classes with the United States Army and Coast Guard, MIT, Harvard, RISD, Roger Williams University and Salve Regina.

The collectors of classic cars and antiques fund grants like these to nurture a new generation of craftspeople and designers who will preserve and repair the world's fleet of antique vehicles.