Career-Technical Education (CTE) programs allow students to connect classroom learning with real-world skills, industry experiences, and future career and college opportunities. At The Maritime Academy of Toledo, our state-certified CTE pathways are designed to help students discover their interests, develop valuable credentials and hands-on skills, and prepare for success beyond high school. Students can choose from three unique pathways: Culinary Arts, Maritime Occupations, and Marine Environmental Science. Each program combines rigorous academic learning with hands-on experiences that reflect our mission of preparing students for college, careers, and opportunities on land or at sea.
Hospitality & Tourism Career Field: Culinary Arts
The Hospitality and Tourism Career Field: Culinary Arts prepares students with the knowledge and hands-on skills needed to succeed in the culinary and foodservice industry. Students learn the science, culture, and business behind food while developing practical skills in ingredient selection, culinary math, knife skills, food preparation, meats, poultry and seafood, soups and sauces, food presentation, beverages, and high-volume cooking. The program also emphasizes food safety, sanitation, teamwork, customer service, business operations, and the ability to understand how culture and changing food trends influence what people eat. At The Maritime Academy of Toledo, our Culinary Arts program is a state-approved/state-certified Career-Technical Education pathway that connects these Ohio standards to a unique maritime learning environment.
Career, College & Maritime Opportunities
Students who pursue Culinary Arts can enter a wide range of careers, including line cook, sous chef, executive chef, caterer, pastry or specialty chef, personal chef, food and beverage manager, restaurant manager, catering and banquet manager, or restaurant owner. The pathway also prepares students for college programs in Culinary Arts, Culinary Science, Catering, Hospitality Management, and Restaurant and Foodservice Management. At Maritime Academy, students can take their culinary skills beyond the traditional restaurant setting and explore maritime hospitality and galley operations, learning how food production, sanitation, inventory, teamwork, and high-volume cooking support the operation of a vessel. Our students can earn ServSafe Foodservice Manager certification, participate in hands-on learning and internships, and take college courses, creating opportunities to continue into college, enter the workforce, become an entrepreneur, or pursue culinary careers on land or at sea.
Transportation Systems Career Field: Maritime Occupations
Maritime Occupations prepare students for careers in the maritime industry by developing practical skills and knowledge connected to ship operations, navigation, engineering, safety, and life at sea. At The Maritime Academy of Toledo, students gain hands-on maritime experiences while preparing for opportunities in the deck, engine room, and galley areas of a vessel. The program connects classroom learning with industry expectations and can lead to credentials such as STCW/BST certification, a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), a U.S. Passport, and a U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential. The Maritime Academy of Toledo offers this as a state-certified Career-Technical Education pathway, giving students a direct connection between high school learning and maritime careers.
Career, College & Maritime Opportunities
Students who pursue Maritime Occupations can explore careers aboard ships and in the larger maritime and transportation industry, including opportunities in the deck, engine room, and galley. The pathway also creates opportunities for students where they can earn transferable college credit and pursue an associate degree, or continue toward a bachelor's degree. Students interested in specialized maritime education can also pursue maritime academies such as Great Lakes Maritime Academy, Maine Maritime Academy, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, SUNY Maritime, Texas A&M Maritime, California Maritime Academy, or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. These opportunities allow students to combine college preparation, industry credentials, hands-on training, internships, and real maritime experiences while building a pathway toward careers on land or at sea.
Agricultural and Environmental Systems Career Field: Marine Environmental Science
Marine Environmental Science pathway develops students’ understanding of how earth, life, and physical sciences can be used to protect, manage, and sustain natural resources. Students learn to collect and analyze water-quality data, including pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity, nutrients, and biological indicators; understand watersheds and water systems; study wastewater and drinking-water treatment; manage solid and hazardous waste; identify and respond to pollution and contaminants; and evaluate ecosystems, including the relationships between living organisms and their physical environment. These skills provide a strong foundation for Marine Environmental Science, where students can apply environmental science to aquatic environments and the Great Lakes. At The Maritime Academy of Toledo, Marine Environmental Science is part of our state-approved Career-Technical Education (CTE) pathway, connecting Ohio’s environmental science standards to our maritime-focused, hands-on learning environment.
Career, College & Maritime Opportunities
Students who pursue Marine Environmental Science can build pathways toward careers such as marine biologist, ecologist, conservation officer, aquaculture professional, environmental specialist, water-resource professional, environmental technician, and natural-resource manager, as well as careers involving water quality, pollution control, wastewater, environmental compliance, and ecosystem restoration. The Ohio standards identify postsecondary opportunities in areas such as Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, Water Resources Management, Fisheries and Wildlife, Environmental Policy and Decision Making, Sustainability, and Forestry. At Maritime Academy, students can combine these environmental studies with maritime experiences, including learning connected to the Great Lakes, aquatic ecosystems, environmental sampling, and hands-on career exploration.
