Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit has co-hosted a Maritime Education Consortium to train outboard motor instructors and technicians in Valdez, Alaska.

Two Yamaha trainers delivered Marine Certification Program curriculum to eleven instructors from the communities of Dillingham, Ketchikan, Soldotna, Juneau, Kodiak, Valdez, Kotzebue, Chevak, Kwigillingok, and Quinhagak. The instructors represented school districts, Alaska Maritime Education Consortium (AMEC) faculty, and representatives from the Coastal Villages Region Fund.

The training is the culmination of the Yamaha Marine Training Program Agreement signed by Governor Mike Dunleavy, University of Alaska president Pat Pitney, and former Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) commissioner Dr. Tamika L. Ledbetter, and Ben Speciale, president, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit.

The agreement established an infrastructure for Yamaha Marine products training across the state, specifically in remote regions. It also allows AMEC to acquire materials at or below cost, including outboard motors and tools.

“The late Congressman Don Young originally brought the need for more technicians in remote areas to our attention, and we are proud to be a part of a program that will ultimately allow us to train more technicians and improve our level of service to customers in Alaska,” says Joe Maniscalco, general manager, Yamaha Marine Service.

“This agreement highlights our commitment to marine technician career development, and we hope this is just the beginning of more training opportunities in Alaska.”

AMEC will now work with the newly certified instructors to establish outboard motor maintenance and repair programs in their respective regions.

“This instructor training has made outboard training more accessible to Alaskans spanning the entire state,” says Anthony Gerasch, marine service technology instructor at Prince William Sound College. “This initiative will help Alaskans earn a living, work in Yamaha dealerships and fix outboards for people in their communities.

“Our partnership with Yamaha has been a gift and I thank them for their contributions. This will make a huge impact.”

In August (2023), the Yamaha US Marine Business Unit has named Robert Orr as the technical services manager of the marine service operations division.

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