Newsroom

Milestone Highlights Continued Commitment to Marine Technician Career Development

KENNESAW, Ga.  – Oct. 27, 2020 – The Yamaha Marine Technical School Partnership program (TSP) reached its 100^th member milestone with the addition of Prince William Sound College in Valdez, Alaska. Developed in 2015, Yamaha’s TSP program aims to develop a stronger marine technician workforce through a certified curriculum, Yamaha systems access and product donations used in the classroom for hands-on training.
 
“We know dealers need to recruit and retain qualified technicians. We also know there’s still a shortage of qualified marine technicians in the marketplace,” said Joe Maniscalco, Service Division Manager, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit. “Yamaha’s TSP program creates a student-to-technician pipeline for Yamaha dealers and provides technical schools with state-of-the-art, instructor-led courses and tools. Students graduate and start successful careers as marine technicians, and Yamaha dealers get exclusive access to recruit the best new talent in the industry. It’s a win-win program we will continue to expand and enhance.”

The facilitation and growth of Yamaha Marine’s technical school relationships led to the development of Yamaha-sponsored curricula available to technical schools for use in the classroom. The first curriculum, titled “Introduction to Outboard Systems,” (ITOS) includes textbook materials and hands-on learning experiences for students who wish to start a career as a marine industry technician. Students who successfully complete the course receive Yamaha Marine’s Introduction to Outboard Systems Certification. ITOS is a pre-requisite for Yamaha’s new Maintenance Certification Program (MCP), which is based on the 20, 100, 300, 500 and 1,000 maintenance procedures for Yamaha Outboards. MCP students will leave the Yamaha Technical School Partner with certified maintenance competencies that prepare them to be immediately profitable in Yamaha dealership service departments. Yamaha dealerships can take them on as apprentices or full-time technicians to help them continue to develop their skills.
 
In addition, Yamaha’s Government Relations team actively coordinates with state agencies to help ensure schools in the Technical School Partnership program have the accreditation they need to receive possible federal funding.
 
“As a representative of the first Yamaha Technical School Partner, I can say with certainty our students and the dealerships in our area have benefited greatly from the ITOS curriculum and hands-on training opportunities,” said Glen Bucholz, Marine and PowerSports Instructor, Minnesota State Community and Technical College. “Yamaha’s efforts through the Technical School Partnership program are certainly outstanding in the industry. I am a firm believer in the effectiveness of the Introduction to Outboard Systems book. The company’s commitment to continued training and marine technician workforce development is strong, and the effort to bring qualified technicians to dealerships through this program works.”
 
For more information about the Yamaha Technical School Partnership program, please visit ymutechs.com or contact YamahaTSP@yamaha-motor.com.
 
Yamaha Marine products are marketed throughout the United States and around the world. Yamaha Marine U.S. Business Unit, based in Kennesaw, Ga., supports its 2,400 U.S. dealers and boat builders with marketing, training and parts for Yamaha’s full line of products and strives to be the industry leader in reliability, technology and customer service. Yamaha Marine is the only outboard brand to have earned NMMA^®’s C.S.I. Customer Satisfaction Index award every year since its inception.
 
REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal floatation device and protective gear.
© 2020 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved.
 
This document contains many of Yamaha's valuable trademarks. It may also contain trademarks belonging to other companies. Any references to other companies or their products are for identification purposes only and are not intended to be an endorsement

Current Yamaha Marine Technical School Partners
Marine Mechanics Institute
Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Hennepin Technical College
Suncoast Technical College
Lexington Technology Center
Tom P. Haney Technical Center
McFatter Technical College
Mitchell Technical Institute
Coral Shores High School
MotoRing Tech Training Institute
Wexford Missaukee Career Technical Center
Gibson Technical Center
Northeast Technology Center
Florida Keys Community College
Manatee Technical College
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College
Fort Myers Technical College
Automotive Training Center
Eau Gallie High School
National Park College
Marchman Technical College
Bixhorn Technical Center
Tidewater Community College
Pinellas Technical College
Ocean County Vocational Technical School
South Tech Academy
Alexandria Technical and Community College
Carteret Community College
Chattanooga State Community College, Motorcycle & Marine Service Technology
Ehove Career Center
Riverside High School
Iowa Lakes Community College
George Stone Technical Center
Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School
Canton State University of New York
State Technical College of Missouri
Lyme - Old Lyme High School
United Technology Center
New England Institute of Technology
Bucks County Technical High School
Monmouth County Vocational School District
Mariner High School
Lindsey Hopkins Technical College
Coastal Carolina Community College
Academy for Career Excellence
Impact Institute
Inlet Grove Community High School
Lorenzo Walker Technical College
Lake Career & Technical Center
Jones Technical Institute
Cape Fear Community College
Great Lakes Boat Building School
Eldon R1 - Eldon Career Center
Gloucester County Vocational Technical School
Gateway Technical College
Horry-Georgetown Technical College
East Troy Community School District
Central Lakes College
Upper Bucks County Technical School
Northern Neck Technical Center
Wawasee High School
Tazewell County Career and Technical Center
Lamar State College - Orange
Bridge City ISD
Applied Technology Center - Rock Hill School District
Chesapeake College
Lanier Technical College
Camden County High School
Champlain Valley Technical School
Urban Assembly New York Harbor School
Southern Regional High School
Top Wrench, Inc.
Sussex Tech Adult Division
Delton Kellogg Schools
WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc.
Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES
Bates Technical College
Southern Maine Community College
Community College of Baltimore County
Arkansas State University - Beebe
Skagit Valley College
South Broward High School
Cape May Tech
Worcester Technical High School
Essex North Shore Ag & Tech School
Indian River State College
Palm Beach State College
North Dakota State College of Science
Virginia Technical Institute
The Landing School
Macomb Community College
Northshore Technical Community College
Okaloosa Technical College
West-MEC
IYRS School of Technology & Trades
Manatee High School
Port S. Lucie High School
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Prince William Sound College