ABYC Educator Conference Kicks Off This Week

The American Boat and Yacht Council’s (ABYC) annual Educator Training Conference will be held virtually July 20 to 22. Designed for high school and post-secondary instructors, as well as boating industry leaders that want to get more involved in creating a strong future workforce, anyone involved in the marine tech space is encouraged to attend.

Agenda topics and the speaker lineup for the 2021 ABYC Educator Training Conference include:

• Market Data To Drive Your Program – Steve Kitchin (New England Institute of Technology), Randall Lyons (Massachusetts Marine Trades Association), Lia Jaros (Maryland Marine Trades Association)
• Top Skills Marine Service Employers Expect of New Hires – Mike Bonicker (ABYC), Paul Kaplan (Keefe Kaplan Maritime)
• Connecting My School and Students to the Industry – Holly Ashton (Safe Harbor Marinas), Matt Jones (Diversified Marine Services)
• Shop Visits – Mike Beamer (Skagit Valley Community College), Ryan Ramsay (Impact Institute), Nate Andrew (The Landing School), Ted Chamberlin (New England Institute of Technology)
• Outboard Basics – Industry representatives
• Composites 101 – Justin Taylor (The Landing School)
• Top Tips from the 2020 ABYC Educator of the Year Award Recipients – Stephen Spencer (Palm Beach State College), Maurice Marchand (H. Lavity Stoutt Community College), Ryan Ramsay (Impact Institute)
• Skills USA: An Invaluable Addition to Your Program – Chelle Travis (Skills USA), Joe Maniscalco (Yamaha), Rob Berenwick (Ocean County Vocational Technical School)
• Virtual Field Trip: Amazing Marinas and Boatyards – Mike Bonicker (ABYC)
• Mad Skill Building with Industry Experts – Ed Sherman (ABYC Emeritus), Rob Berenwick (Ocean County Vocational Technical School)

Sponsors of the Educator Training Conference, include Boatswain’s Locker, VETUS Maxwell, National Marine Distributors Association, Grady-White Boats, Safe Harbor Marinas, Blue Sea Systems and IMTRA Corporation.

Supporting trades associations include Georgia Marine Business Association, Massachusetts Marine Trades Association, Yacht Brokers of America, Marine Trades Association of New Jersey, Michigan Boating Industries Association and Wisconsin Marine Association. Numerous other boating companies are donating door prizes for attendees.