The Massachusetts Marine Trades Association was awarded $100,000 in the 2019 Commonwealth budget to support workforce development and career technical education.

Earlier this week, Republican Massachusetts Sen. Don Humason joined MMTA executive director Randall Lyons, immediate past president and current board member Paul Nowak and board member Kurt Saunders to celebrate the authorization of the funds at Saunders Boat Livery in Southwick, Mass.

The bipartisan budget amendment was sponsored by Humason, who has been an advocate for the boating industry in Massachusetts for many years as co-chair of the Massachusetts Boating Caucus.

“This earmark will help connect our students in the schools with the jobs at the marinas,” Humason said in a statement. “We know there are openings in the marine trades industry that need to be filled and students looking for good-paying, satisfying jobs. I want to thank my colleagues in the Boating Caucus and the Baker-Polito administration for supporting this appropriation. It’s all about jobs and workforce all across the Commonwealth.”

The boating industry in Massachusetts has an economic impact of more than $2 billion and employs 11,000-plus people.

The marine industry is facing a substantial workforce shortage. In Massachusetts projects approximately 3,000 new jobs will need to be filled in the next few years.