The following is text of a news release from the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC):
(ANNAPOLIS, Md.) — The American Boat & Yacht Council has announced that in September, four schools have enrolled in its “Fundamentals of Marine Service Technology” curriculum program.
The program was built to help secondary and post-secondary schools easily implement a standards-based marine service curriculum, with an inland or coastal focus. Additionally, a nationally recognized competency certificate is available for program participants who successfully pass an exam administered by the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI).
“We are thrilled that schools from all over the country are expressing interest and hope that more and more young people will be inspired to pursue a rewarding career in the marine industry,” said Ed Sherman ABYC vice president of education. “This should be good news to all concerned about the workforce crisis as schools are better prepared to train future applicants.”
Participating schools receive a textbook, instructor guides, PowerPoint presentations, sample test questions and online videos.
“ABYC addresses all of our needs in one easy to read, comprehensive book and the new curriculum package will make it even easier for our marine program to excel moving forward," said Rob Berenwick, instructor at Ocean County Vocational Technical School. “Partnering with ABYC was a no-brainer when we were presented with the vast resources for me as the instructor and my students.”
Schools currently enrolled with marine service program include:
Ocean County Vocational Technical School – Toms River, N.J.
Portland Arts & Technology High School – Portland, Maine
Mount Desert Island High School – Bar Harbor, Maine
Center for Applied Technology – Edgewater, Md.
Mid-Coast School of Technology – Rockland, Maine
North Providence High School – North Providence, R.I.
Coconino Association for Vocations, Industry and Technology – Page, Ariz.
Industry support is requested to spread the word to local networks and community schools. To learn more about ABYC’s Marine Service Technology Program, visit www.abycinc.org/marineservice.
