Press Releases

December 14, 2005, Edgewater, MD; Chicago, IL; and Brooklin, ME: A strong line-up of leading figures from the marine industry, education and government will speak on "Resources for Success" at the 2006 Conference on Marine Industry Technical Training (COMITT) January 23 – 24, 2006 in Safety Harbor, FL, just outside of Tampa. With space filling up and an earlier event date than last year, industry is encouraged to sign up now!

COMITT '06 co-producers, the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC), the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and Professional BoatBuilder (PBB) magazine, are honored to have Bill Yeargin, Executive Vice President for Rybovich Spencer and a respected marine professional return as Moderator for COMITT '06. Co-producers are also pleased to have the following speakers explore a lineup of topics to help boatbuilders, marine manufacturers, suppliers, surveyors, marine underwriters, repair facilities, dealers, educators and occupational training experts locate resources available for education and training initiatives.

• Garry Appleby, The Riviera Group. Topic: Establishing an Apprenticeship Program;
• Dolores Blueford, Northwest Center of Excellence for Marine Manufacturing & Technology. Topic: Partnerships — Leveraging Resources for Marine Training & Education;
• David Flagler, North Carolina Marine Training and Education Center (NC MARTEC). Topic: Industry Support — Finding & Asking for Resources;
• Catherine Kennedy, Workforce Florida, Inc. Topic: Incumbent Worker Training — The Florida Model;
• Ed Lofgren, 3A Marine Service. Topic: How to Develop a Continuing Education Program in Your Area;
• Barbara Montalbano, Sea Ray Boats. Topic: Obtaining Funding for Employee Training;
• Alex Wittig, Council on Occupational Education. Topic: Steps to Take in Becoming an Accredited Educational Institution;
• Federal Department of Labor, Speaker TBA. Topic: Workforce Training Resources.

In addition to the above speakers, participants will be able to meet with, discuss ideas with, and ask questions of the newly formed 22 member Marine Industry Technical Education Council (MITEC), an organization tasked with developing an industry-wide approach to voluntary, consensus-based tracking, management, accreditation and certification of marine workforce technical education and training programs.

Sponsor Information:
Both event and high school sponsorship opportunities are also available. Further information regarding sponsorships can be obtained by contacting Carl Cramer at (207) 359-4651 or by email at carl@proboat.com.

Registration & Event Information:
Full conference and registration information can be found online by visiting www.abycinc.org and clicking on the COMITT logo, or by contacting the ABYC Education Department at (410) 956-1050. The cost to attend will be $250 for Business/Industry and Association leadership, $200 for post secondary institutions, $150 for high schools.

Organizations will also have the opportunity to display materials for a fee of $150. Kiosk space will be first come, first serve and can be reserved when filling out the registration form.

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.