When Education Commissioner Deborah Gist delivers her State of Education address on Thursday before the General Assembly, the Warwick Career and Technical Center’s Marine Trades program will be highlighted during the speech.

According to Elliot Krieger, director of communications for the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), Gist will mention the boat building program housed at Warwick Veterans Memorial High School during a portion of her speech regarding career and technical education in the state.

Bill McCaffrey, director of Warwick Career and Technical Center, explained that RIDE became interested in the program after reading how students in a number of marine trade programs build boats for and work at the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association’s Providence Boat Show each year, one of the programs being the one at Warwick Vets.

“We’ve built some items for the boat show,” explained McCaffrey, adding that a number of students are on hand during the show to answer questions from boaters in attendance.

According to a press release from the Marine Trades Association, students from the program will be building a canoe at the boat show, which occurs this weekend at the Rhode Island Convention Center. The Warwick students will work along with students from Chariho Career and Technical Center.

McCaffrey believes this program to be a great example of tying together education with industry, a necessary part of career and technical education.

“We always hear that kids aren’t prepared when they get out into the industry. We are an example of education and industry working together,” said McCaffrey, adding that the program has a close working relationship with the Marine Trades Association. “Everyone’s on the same page.”

The Marine Trades program at Vets currently has 22 students preparing to move on to a post-secondary education at institutions such as New England Technical Institute. According to McCaffrey, potential careers for students in the program include boat building, boat service and repair or positions within rigging companies.

Gist’s speech is scheduled to start at approximately 5 p.m. at the rise of the House. It can be watched live on Capitol TV (Cox Communications channel 15 or Verizon Fios channel 34) or streamed live over the Internet on the General Assembly’s website at www.rilin.state.ri.us.