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Training
Marine Technicians
Who
is going to service and repair the increasingly
sophisticated boats that we are selling
today? Good question. I suspect that our
industry has been asking this question
for a long time… and very little progress
has been made. This is a problem that
is not going to just “go away.” In fact,
I suspect that it becomes more critical
every year.
Given
the size of the challenge, I am proud
of a small step we took during last month’s
2008 Seattle Boat Show.
We
teamed up with the American Boat &
Yacht Council (ABYC) from Annapolis, Maryland
to offer two different training classes
during the show. The classes were aimed
at upgrading the skills of technicians
already working in the industry.
One class was focused on Marine Systems;
the other on Electrical Systems. Students
who graduated from the classes became
ABYC certified, which is generally accepted
as the highest standard in the recreational
boating industry.
Both
classes sold out with 30 + students and
there were waiting lists for both. Based
on our success, we are already looking
at holding a class next month during the
Everett Boat Show. We are also exploring
other times and places to offer training
to the current employees of our members.
When
the idea of holding classes during the
boat show first came up last fall, I was
a bit skeptical. I wondered if our dealers,
boatyard and service/repair members would
want to send employees to a training class
during the Boat Show. John Thorburn on
our staff surveyed the membership. The
results came back positive so we went
ahead and I am glad we did.
Having
thought about the challenge of getting
more trained technicians into our industry
for the past eight years, I have come
to a couple of conclusions:
- The
challenge is real.
- I
think we need a two pronged-attack.
- One:
we need to cast a wide net to encouraging
young people to seek out careers
in our industry. (No easy task).
- Two:
we need to provide training for
people who have “self-selected”
and shown-up at one of our members
because they like boats. In most
instances, these people do not have
the skill sets our industry is looking
for to troubleshoot, repair and
install the latest and greatest
equipment – but at least they have
demonstrated an interest in boating.
Summary - I think we can make the most
progress with the second group if regional
marine trade associations like us can
partner with ABYC and others to offer
the right type of training, at the right
time, at the right locations and at the
right price. This will not solve the problem.
We still need to work on attracting more
young people into our industry, but at
least it has the potential to lift the
skill-sets of those who have already found
their way into our industry.
I’ll
close with a quick personal story that
I think illustrates the points I am making.
One of my college summer jobs was a Fleet
Chevrolet in Seattle as a lot boy. I took
the job because I was into cars. Before
long, I was racing sports cars and learning
how to fix them along the way and before
you knew it, I was making a living as
a mechanic for the Sports Car Center in
Portland, Oregon.
If
our members knew that there was quality
training available for the brightest entry-level
employees, then they could start moving
them up through their organization and
potentially have a staff of highly trained
technicians taking care of the sophisticated
boats and equipment that they are selling.
Let
me know if you have other ideas of how
we can make progress on this challenge
which is critical to the growth of recreational
boating in the years ahead.
With
warm regards,
Michael
Campbell
President
michael@nmta.net
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