Yacht Service Technician Apprenticeship Program Report
By: MIASF Staff
Date posted: Sep 28, 2021 Tue
Fall has arrived and the apprentices in the Yacht Service Technician Apprenticeship Program are busy working through class projects while working full time at their respective marine businesses. The apprentices are growing daily from a combination of classroom projects and challenging on-the-job training.
The Class of 2021 is quickly approaching graduation in December. They are finishing up their final projects and lessons in the woodworking module before moving onto the painting module. To finish up the program, the apprentices will conclude with the metal fabrication/welding module. A welding teacher at Atlantic Technical College is stepping in to provide 4 weeks of top-quality instruction for the apprentices.
The Class of 2022 is now finishing the running gear and machining module of the course. Rich Merhige, from Advanced Mechanical Enterprises, Inc., returned to present to this year’s class about his knowledge and expertise related to running gear and machinery vibration analysis. Rich’s presentation gave an overview of shafts, shaft seals, struts, bearings, rudders, props, and more. The apprentices also all took a field trip to Rolly Marine where they finished the running gear module by gaining first-hand experience learning the steps involved with disassembling, aligning, and installing a drive shaft. We thank Rolly Marine and Advanced Mechanical Enterprises for their continued support and involvement in the program.
Recruitment to build the Class of 2023 is already underway. Classroom instruction for this group of apprentices begins in January 2022 and is limited to 25 students. Space is filling up, so if you would like to enroll one of your current or future employees in the program, the time is now to take the next steps. Currently, there is no additional cost to the employer to put an employee through the program, with the exception of the employees’ wages. And CareerSource Broward is still offering their wage reimbursement program for employers to obtain reimbursement for employees’ wages that meet the qualifications in the program. If you have identified a current employee or new hire that you would like to enroll in the program, become a participating employer today by emailing info@miasf.org or call 954-524-2733.
The only way we continue to build our industry’s workforce, is by investing in the next generation together.