IYRS School of Technology & Trades has announced that its 27th annual Graduation & Launch Day will occur on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at 10 a.m. in Restoration Hall at IYRS (449 Thames Street).
This year’s commencement speaker will be Ben Sorkin, CEO of Bristol, RI-based electric boating company Flux Marine.
“While most schools figuratively launch their students out into the world, we quite literally launch our students during our graduation ceremony,” said Dean of Students and Lead Instructor of Boatbuilding & Restoration Bill Kenyon. “On graduation day, our first- and second-year boatbuilding students launch and test the boats they’ve spent the academic year building and restoring.”
The school is projected to graduate more than 70 students and launch four Beetle Cat sailboats, which will bring IYRS’s total of restored Beetle Cats to 174 restored since 1996. In addition, second-year Boatbuilding students restored two Herreshoff 12 1/2s that will go back to their owners after graduation.
Marine systems graduate Tom Stark is competing in The Transatlantic Race 2025 and has hired several of his former classmates as crew as they sail from Newport and finish in Cowes, England. Tom is one of almost 50 marine technicians graduating from the program this year.
Composites Technology graduates are spreading out, with one heading to an externship at FSL Composites in Honolulu and another going to the Irish Boat Shop in Harbor Springs, MI. Some students are staying within New England, at shops including Lyman Morse Boatbuilding, Inc. in Thomaston, ME, Darling’s Boatworks in Charlotte, VT, and Aquidneck Custom Composites in Bristol, RI.
IYRS’s Digital Modeling & Fabrication program has a strong presence at Providence, RI-based EXP Studios, a design and build company specializing in creating immersive visitor experiences. EXP Studios has collaborated with high-profile clients such as the Olympic Games, the National Archives, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Discovery Channel. IYRS students gain hands-on experience with computer-aided design (CAD) software, manual machining techniques, 3D printing, and CNC machines. These skills are not only applicable to the marine industry but are also valuable in other manufacturing sectors and for employers like EXP Studios.
Graduates of the Boatbuilding & Restoration program often secure employment in historic vessel preservation with institutions such as Mystic Seaport Museum, while others pursue careers in boatyards that emphasize contemporary construction methods.
Several program graduates will continue their education with IYRS by taking another of the school’s four programs.
Nearly 80 percent of IYRS students receive financial assistance. Those interested in learning more about scholarship opportunities can visit iyrs.edu/admissions/financial-aid-scholarships-grants.
More information about the graduation ceremony can be found at iyrs.edu/events/graduation.
