COURTESY YAMAHA MARINE

Yamaha Marine’s Technical School Partnership program yesterday announced that it added 10 new schools to its training school portfolio during the last 12 months, bringing the total nationwide number to 117.

The program, developed in 2015, strives to develop a more robust marine technician workforce through a certified curriculum. Students who 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.

“Our school offers students the opportunity to learn at the helm,” Jennifer Castle Field, president of the Chapman School of Seamanship, said in a statement. “Yamaha’s hands-on training extends our courses to outboards and further broadens the skills we can bring to the table. In a market full of serviceable Yamaha outboards, I can’t imagine a better company to work with as we train the next generation of marine industry experts.”

Coastal Alabama Community College is the first Yamaha technical school partner in Alabama. The college is positioned near Orange Beach and Gulf Shores and will work with local marine businesses to develop a stronger technician workforce in the area.

“Baldwin County, Ala., the area we serve, attracts more than eight million visitors a year, many of whom boat and fish,” Josh Duplantis, dean of economic and workforce development for Coastal Alabama Community College, said in the statement. “By teaming up with Yamaha to bring niche programs like marine technician training courses to our college, we can better serve the businesses in our area by helping develop skills locally.”

The 10 Schools that joined the program are listed below:

• The Alaska Maritime Education Consortium, Fairbanks, Alaska

• Andover High School, Andover, Minn.

• Cape Cod Community College, West Barnstable, Mass.

• Catawba Community College, Hickory, N.C.

• Coastal Alabama Community College, Foley, Ala.

• Chapman School of Seamanship, Stuart, Fla.

• Fort Myers High School, Fort Myers, Fla.

• Mid-Coast School of Technology, Rockland, Maine

• Salem High School, Salem, Mass.

•William Floyd High School, Mastic Beach, N.Y.