ABYC Hosts Educator Forum

On January 21, the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) hosted its Educator Forum, bringing together 25 educators, administrators, and marine service program leaders from across the United States. This virtual event provided a platform to address challenges, share resources and explore opportunities for schools training the next generation of marine service technicians. All major outboard manufacturers participated, emphasizing the crucial role of collaboration across the industry in addressing workforce challenges.

    ABYC’s event brought together representatives from Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and Mercury—who shared their strategies for supporting marine technology programs. They emphasized the importance of investing in education and the positive return on investment resulting from these efforts.

    Educators had the opportunity to share strategies for creating effective shop environments, securing funding and donations, and working with advisory committees. The event also featured updates from Maciej Rynkiewicz, ABYC standards developer, on advancements in ABYC standards to equip educators with the latest industry knowledge.

    The next Educator Forum will be held on April 2, 2025, in a hybrid format. For more information, visit teachboats.org or contact Sarah Devlin at sdevlin@abycinc.org.