Program offers students advanced training in Mercury products and maintenance procedures;
It provides a jump‑start on certification
Mercury Marine and its training division, Mercury University, today announced a partnership with Great Lakes Boat Building School in Cedarville, Michigan, to offer students a 12‑month, 42‑credit‑hour Mercury Marine Maintenance Program beginning with the fall 2020 semester.
Mercury and the school announced their partnership at a special ceremony sponsored by the school and the Michigan Boating Industries Association at the Progressive®Detroit Boat Show, which continues through Jan. 26.
“Michigan is the third‑largest marine market in the country and, with nearly one million registered boats on file in our Great Lakes State, we estimate nearly 50 percent of our citizens take to the water each year to boat and fish,” said Nicki Polan, executive director, Michigan Boating Industries. “We are extremely excited for the Mercury and GLBBS partnership, and are honored to join in the support to bring educational opportunities to Michigan. Our industry has a $7.8 billion economic impact on the state’s economy each year and we need qualified marine technicians to keep it going and growing.”
Jeff Mason, CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, expressed enthusiasm about the career prospects that the program will offer students. “Congratulations to the Great Lakes Boat Building School for its innovative partnership with Mercury Marine to establish the region’s first marine industry training program, which will create greater access to a range of high‑skilled and pathway jobs throughout the state,” Mason said. “Today’s announcement further builds on the state’s legacy of innovation by partnering with the industry’s top‑ranked manufacturer to train the next generation of marine service technicians from right here in the Great Lakes State.”
Upon completion of the course — which includes extensive hands‑on training on equipment supplied by Mercury, as well as applicable M‑TEK courses (Mercury’s on‑line Marine Technician’s Essential Knowledge E‑Skills programs) — the students will receive a Mercury Maintenance Certificate, demonstrating their successful completion of the course and their familiarity with Mercury’s maintenance procedures and engines. The work completed will count toward becoming a certified Mercury technician, once the student is employed by a Mercury dealer.
“We have a large number of dealers in the Great Lakes Region who are looking to hire qualified technicians,” said Nick Van Nocker, training technology manager, Mercury University. “This partnership allows us to focus on providing qualified marine technicians for this area of the country. It benefits our dealers and our customers, all of whom are getting better‑trained technicians.”
“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Mercury, which will further advantage our students as we strive to provide the best education available to the industry,” said Joseph D. Reid, chairman of the board, Great Lakes Boat Building School.
“Dealers can hire someone with this certificate knowing they are hiring someone who can immediately contribute to the dealership, know their way around Mercury products and are already partway towards being certified,” Van Nocker added.
For more information of the Progressive® Detroit Boat Show, visit http://detroitboatshow.net/
About Great Lakes Boat Building School
Great Lakes Boat Building School (GLBBS) is a nonprofit marine trade school that prepares students for rewarding careers in the marine industry. Students at Great Lakes Boat Building School are provided a comprehensive course of study in the methods, materials, and professionalism required of today’s marine industry professional. Integrating lectures, demonstrations, and hands‑on projects, each of our full‑time programs achieves the proper balance of theoretical and practical knowledge for marine industry career success. For more information, visit: https://glbbs.edu/.
About MBIA — Michigan Boating Industries Association
The Michigan Boating Industries Association is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to the promotion, protection and advancement of the recreational boating industry in Michigan. The MBIA currently represents more than 350 marine businesses in Michigan and serves as the voice of recreational boating in Michigan. For more information, visit: https://www.mbia.org/.
About Mercury Marine
Headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Mercury Marine is a world‑leading manufacturer of marine propulsion systems. A $3 billion division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), Mercury designs, manufactures and distributes engines, services and parts for recreational, commercial and government marine applications, empowering boaters with products that are easy‑to‑use, extremely reliable and backed by the most dedicated customer support in the world with 10,000 service points globally. Mercury’s industry‑leading brand portfolio includes Mercury outboard engines and Mercury MerCruiser sterndrive and inboard packages. Mercury’s global parts‑and‑accessories offerings include: propellers; SmartCraft electronics; Power Products Integrated Solutions; MotorGuide trolling motors; Attwood, Garelick and Whale marine parts; Land ’N’ Sea, BLA, Payne’s Marine, Kellogg Marine and Lankhorst Taselaar marine parts distribution; and Mercury and Quicksilver parts and oils. More information is available at mercurymarine.com.
