Nichols Brothers launches major recruitment drive, aims to double production staff

Nichols Brothers Boat Builders said it is mounting an aggressive hiring campaign to expand its production ranks from roughly 100 to about 200 workers by mid 2026, part of an effort that would increase total staff from about 150 to near 250 employees. The Freeland shipyard is recruiting apprentices and journeymen across trades including welding, electrical work, painting and pipefitting to support ongoing contracts and new construction.

The company outlined starting wages that offer concrete entry points into skilled trades. Apprentices begin at about $22 per hour while first level journeymen start around $34 per hour. Apprenticeship training requires roughly 6,000 hours of supervised work and study, which equates to about three years of full time training. Nichols Brothers said it will pursue recruits at career fairs and through local high schools, and it continues a history of second chance hiring and apprenticeship pathways that open opportunities to residents who have faced barriers to employment.

The recruitment drive responds in part to a setback earlier this year when the yard lost a $7 million state ferry contract to an out of state shipyard. Despite that loss, work on electric passenger ferries for San Francisco Bay, repair projects for Kitsap Transit and construction and maintenance for autonomous defense vessels such as the USX 1 Defiant are sustaining near term demand for skilled labor.

For Island County the announcement has immediate labor market implications. A successful recruitment campaign would reduce local unemployment pressure, provide higher wage career paths, and strengthen a maritime supply chain that supports other local businesses. At the same time the plan amplifies existing strains on housing and transportation. Company leaders acknowledged that local housing shortages and commuting challenges remain the single biggest obstacles to meeting hiring goals.

Longer term, the shipyard's push highlights a broader policy choice for local and state leaders. Investments in affordable housing, expanded transit links and targeted workforce training can convert hiring pledges into sustained employment growth. Conversely, continued contracting practices that favor out of state yards may limit the economic spillover from public procurement. For Island County residents the outcome will shape job opportunities in trades and the strength of the island economy for years to come.