The Alaska Maritime Education Consortium (AMEC), in partnership with Yamaha, hosted a Yamaha Marine Maintenance Certification Program (MCP) Instructor training in Valdez, Alaska  Aug. 4-10, 2023. Yamaha provided two trainers to deliver the MCP certification to eleven  instructors from the communities of Dillingham, Ketchikan, Soldotna, Juneau, Kodiak, Valdez,  Kotzebue, Chevak, Kwigillingok, and Quinhagak. The instructors represented school districts,  AMEC faculty, and representatives from the Coastal Villages Region Fund. 

AMEC will work with these certified instructors to establish outboard motor maintenance and  repair programs in their respective regions. Anthony Gerasch, Marine Service Technology Instructor at Prince William Sound College said, "This instructor training has made outboard training more accessible to Alaskans spanning the entire state. This initiative will help Alaskans earn a living, work in Yamaha dealerships, and fix machines for people in their communities. Our partnership with Yamaha has been a gift and I thank them for their contributions. This will make a huge impact."

Inspired by the late Congressman Don Young, this training is the culmination of the Yamaha  Marine Training Program Agreement signed by Governor Mike Dunleavy, University of Alaska President Pat Pitney and former Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) Commissioner Dr. Tamika L. Ledbetter. This agreement established a partnership with Yamaha to allow AMEC to acquire outboard motors and tools at cost.

The Alaska Maritime Education Consortium (AMEC) is a partnership between The University of Alaska (UA) and the Alaska Vocational Technical Center (AVTEC), a division of DOLWD. AMEC is supported by Maritime Works, a program of the Alaska Safety Alliance (ASA). The mission of AMEC is to “collaborate to prepare Alaskans for afloat and ashore careers that will support and strengthen the maritime workforce” by combining efforts to provide maritime training and education across the state. These careers align with the priority occupations in boat and ship  building, vessel repair and maintenance, port maintenance, and vessel operations identified in  the 2014 Alaska Maritime Workforce Development Plan and the subsequent AMEC Action Agenda through 2025.

For more information, contact Mariko Selle, mari@alaskasafetyalliance.org or visit the AMEC website. 

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