July 30, 2019

Annapolis inaugural “ETC” event encourages educators to teach about boats

Bright and early on the morning of July 23, more than 55 faces from 15 states, Canada, and the British Virgin Island’s gathered to learn the latest on teaching marine service technology at the high school and post-secondary school level.  The American Boat and Yacht Council’s  (ABYC) inaugural “Marine Service Technology: Educator Training Conference” will be held over the next three days, featuring topics to support and encourage those people already teaching, as well as those thinking about teaching, future marine techs in schools, the first step in moving the needle on the workforce deficit.    
 
“Participants in this week’s conference range from a high school auto repair teacher who is thinking about teaching outboard repair, to tried and true post-secondary schools whose entire curriculum is based in marine work,” said John Adey, president of ABYC.  “Schools who want a standards-based curriculum, or who want to expand their outboard classes to address new systems-rich boats, will be learning how to do this painlessly,” he continued.

Sessions include: Selecting and Surviving your Curriculum Advisory Committee, Choosing your Instructor, the Evolution of “Tech Ed,” Shop Setup and Safety, and Training Aids Gone Wild.  More than a dozen speakers from Marine League Schools, Evinrude trainers, industry leaders and ABYC’s Education Guru Ed Sherman will help both novice and experienced instructors walk away with actionable lists.

“Four months ago this event was just a concept.  Since then, we’ve seen huge interest in this “train the trainer” event, both from the education community and from the marine industry,” said Sherman.  “We’re equipping dozens of instructors who will show dozens of kids every year that our industry is the place for a great career and a great life.  It doesn’t get much better than that!”   

In what is hoped to become an annual event, ABYC has been able to link different parts of the industry, including future employers, equipment, engine, and boat manufacturers and sellers, to the educators who have significant influence over both the number and talent of future boat techs.  Sponsors of the Educator Training Conference include Power Products, Groupe Beneteau, Evinrude, NMEA, Imtra, Safe Harbor Marinas, CWR Wholesale Distributors and West Marine Pro.