Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council (CIRCAC) has partnered with Marathon Petroleum Corporation to jointly fund an annual $2500 scholarship for students training at the Alaska Maritime Training Center. The Alaska Maritime Training Center in Seward is a US Coast Guard-approved training facility which offers a flow of courses needed to become an approved USCG Merchant Mariner and be employed in Alaska’s maritime industry.

“Our mission is to promote safe oil transportation and production in Cook Inlet,” said CIRCAC Executive Director Mike Munger. “To fulfill that mission depends heavily on highly skilled mariners. The Alaska Maritime Training Center provides the most advanced simulator training in the United States, customized to Cook Inlet’s demanding conditions and specific needs of Cook Inlet’s producers. We have long supported the Alaska Maritime Training Center and are pleased to partner with Marathon Petroleum Corporation and AVTEC to help make that training a reality for more students.”

AVTEC is administering the $2500 scholarship, which it intends to award no later than December of each year. Interested applicants must possess a valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Card and must demonstrate a desire to be a Merchant Mariner. There is no deadline to apply and applications will be evaluated on a first come, first served basis.

“AVTEC would like to thank both Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council and Marathon Petroleum Corporation for their generous and thoughtful scholarship donation,” said Terry Federer, AVTEC Maritime Department Head/Instructor. “For many of our students, financial hurdles are what keep very qualified people from making that next step in a career pathway and this scholarship will help those motivated people clear that obstacle.”

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (formerly Andeavor) has already invested $180,000 in the Alaska Maritime Training Center to provide all Alaska-bound mariners, captains and crew access to advanced simulator training regardless of affiliation.

“The joint scholarship with CIRCAC is one more opportunity to show our commitment to improving safe navigation in Alaska, with a focus on providing advanced training for Cook Inlet’s challenging environment,” said Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s Captain John Schneider, who was instrumental in designing and advancing the simulator training.

For more information on the scholarship and financial aid options, interested applicants should contact: Terry Federer at terry.federer@avtec.edu or 907-224-6195.