Press Releases
COMITT Co-presenters Ready to Move Forward
Turnout Right on Target
Click here to view photos from COMITT.
February 14, 2005, Edgewater, MD; Chicago, IL; and Brooklin, ME: ABYC, NMMA and Professional BoatBuilder magazine, organizers and co-producers of the Conference on Marine Industry Technical Training (COMITT), are ready to move forward with their established goals to keep the momentum and interest going after a successful conference on the current state of technical education and training within the marine industry.
In front of a crowd of 191 participants made up of boatbuilders, manufacturers, surveyors, repair facilities and dealers, marine industry trade associations, as well as educators, Bill Yeargin, COMITT moderator and Executive Vice-President of Rybovich Spencer, outlined several initiatives that will be put into motion over the next few weeks and months, that will allow for continuous and consistent communication between all participants and interested parties. These goals included:
- Distributing the list of COMITT '05 participants and posting it on the COMITT web site
- Creating a list of educational institutions that offer marine related training programs, starting with those that were at COMITT and posting it on the COMITT web site
- Distributing the follow-up CD
- Posting an initial list of funding and educational reimbursement programs on the COMITT web site
- Explore and create a resume posting area
- Establishing and developing the MITEC, which would pursue initiatives such as
- Defining core competencies for entry-level technicians
- Setting standards for technician certification
- Setting standards for in-house training of technicians
- Developing a centralized learning center
- Developing apprentice programs
Participants will be able to visit the COMITT web site (currently located at www.abycinc.org/comitt/index.cfm) to not only view the goals and get updates, but to also see a check list of when each goal has been met.
Carl Cramer, publisher of PBB and co-Director of IBEX said, "We worked very hard to control the attendance in each of our target groups. There was an enthusiastic response from educational institutions and trade associations, and we were right on with all our industry segment numbers. Sticking to these numbers not only ensured that the conference was kept to a manageable size, but enabled us to gather valuable feedback and information on the needs of each segment."
Skip Burdon, President of ABYC said, "I was ecstatic with the way things turned out at COMITT. Over the next few weeks and months, the co-presenters will be working hard to ensure we stick to the timeline for our goals, which also includes the creation of the Marine Industry Technical Council (MITEC). Our hope is that everyone in attendance, in addition to those who couldn't make it are as committed to making this work as we are!"
Thom Dammrich, President of NMMA said, "Just by looking at the number of people in attendance, COMITT demonstrated the acknowledgement by both industry and academia, that there is a need for a coordinated approach to education and training for the marine industry. With the industry working to launch its Grow Boating campaign we are at a critical point, and NMMA is in full support of the outcomes of COMITT, which will ensure continuous improvement in our industry and quality for the boating public through education, training and professional development."
Co-produced by ABYC, NMMA and PBB, COMITT will provide a forum to discuss, present and demonstrate industry support of technical workforce education, training, certification and professional development. COMITT's purpose is to become the internationally recognized leading summit to highlight the marine industry's commitment to developing and maintaining a highly-skilled and technically proficient workforce.
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