For
Immediate Release
Contact: Caroline Chetelat at ABYC
(410) 990-4460,
x22
cchetelat@abycinc.org

Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology
and SUNY Maritime
Announce Joint Marine
Continuing-Education Program
Combined With ABYC Courses, Your Source
for Marine Training
April 12, 2007, Annapolis, MD: The Westlawn
Institute of Marine Technology and SUNY Maritime College are pleased to
announce a new joint continuing-education (CE) program to offer a wide
selection of courses exclusively accredited or certified by third-party
agencies to serve the boating industry’s need for highly trained workers. The combination
of Westlawn, SUNY Maritime, and ABYC courses cover
subjects from the fundamentals of boat design, maintenance and repair, to
marine surveying, through metal corrosion, to training for captain’s licenses,
and radar recertification. All of Westlawn’s courses are available entirely
through distance learning. SUNY Maritime’s marine-surveying courses are also
distance learning, in addition to offering additional on campus CE courses.
ABYC courses and certifications are offered at various locations throughout the
country, as well as on-site at facilities.
Awards:
Certificates of completion and continuing-education units (CEUs)
are granted by Westlawn and SUNY Maritime upon completion of each course. CEUs
and certificates are recorded in the student’s permanent academic record at
both Westlawn and SUNY Maritime. “Advanced Certificates” in Marine Surveying
and Boat Management are also awarded by SUNY Maritime to students who complete
recommended combinations of courses. Detailed course information, as well as
recommended courses to receive an Advanced Certificate can be found by visiting
www.westlawn.edu and clicking on the
Course Information menu tab, and then the Continuing Education link, or
directly at Joint
Westlawn/SUNY Maritime CE Program.
According to Dave Gerr, Westlawn Director, “This
combined course offering is one of the largest selections of marine
continuing-education programs available anywhere in the world. Because
Westlawn and ABYC courses are oriented towards the recreational boating
industry and SUNY Maritime is more shipping oriented, offering co-recognition
for all these courses gives differing audiences a broader selection of courses
that support one another, while providing students with triple the recognition
for their work. For example, Westlawn offers a Metal Corrosion course which
would be an excellent course to take prior to the ABYC Marine Corrosion
Certification. To gain a deeper understanding of boat design and enhance
training for NAMS or SAMS, a surveyor may want to take the SUNY Maritime marine surveying course in addition to
Westlawn’s Yacht Design Lite. This kind of tiered education is great for new employees
entering the marine industry, as well as experienced workers seeking continuing
education and training. Equally important, these courses offer an ideal way for
marine employers to enhance their workers’ skills and productivity.”
“As a graduate of SUNY Maritime, I know first-hand the quality of
both their on-campus and distance learning programs. This partnership can only
strengthen our mutual capabilities to deliver timely and relevant
technical-based professional development courses to the professional mariner as
well as to the marine technical workforce,” stated Skip
Burdon, ABYC’s President.
“By collaborating with Westlawn and ABYC, SUNY Maritime has
significantly enhanced our ability to service the educational needs of
surveyors, marine professionals and boating enthusiasts everywhere,” says John
McInerney, Program Director of SUNY Maritime College’s Continuing Education
department. “Maritime has a commitment to serve the entire industry with
quality and comprehensive training opportunities and our online programs are an
effective way of reaching students from every corner of the world. This
partnership will strengthen our curriculum exponentially.”
Below is a list of Westlawn, SUNY Maritime and ABYC courses that
are included in the joint CE-program:
Westlawn
Distance-Learning CE Course Offerings – 2007:
All
Westlawn courses may be started at any time during the year because they are
distance learning. Distance learning is a cost-effective way to advance your
career or train employees. There is no travel, little time lost from work, no
on-site or off-site set-up and no facility rental, no visiting instructors,
modest tuition costs, you start when you want and study at your own pace.
Westlawn has been teaching via distance learning for more than 75 years. Below
is the listing of Westlawn distance learning CE courses:
·
Yacht Design
Lite (YDL) – Fundamentals of Boat Design
·
Metal
Corrosion in Boats
·
Fuel
Systems for Boats
·
Fiberglass
Boatbuilding: Materials & Methods
·
Fiberglass
Boatbuilding Production Methods
·
Interior
Design Methods for Yacht Design and the Boatbuilding Industry
In addition to the above courses, Westlawn is currently developing
three
new CE courses that will be offered in late 2007. They are: Exhaust Systems
for Boats, Boat Drivetrain Installations and Requirements and Rudders &
Steering Systems, Installation and Design.
SUNY Maritime CE Course
Offerings – 2007:
It is important to
note that as opposed to Westlawn’s course offerings, SUNY Maritime CE courses
have specific starting dates. Please check the SUNY Maritime CE-course web
site, www.sunymaritime.edu for details, as well as detailed information on the
following CE on-line and on-campus courses offered:
On-line CE Courses: Marine Surveying: Yacht Damage, Hull, or Cargo
On-Campus Operator of
Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV) Courses:
·
U.S. Coast Guard Approved
·
Six-Pac; 100-Ton
Upgrade; 200-Ton Upgrade
·
Basic Safety
Training
·
Able Seaman’s
Courses
·
Lifeboatman
·
Radar
Certification
·
Celestial
Navigation; and many others.
ABYC Technician
Training & Certification Course Offerings – 2007:
ABYC has developed
a comprehensive standards-based training program to improve the quality and
professionalism of boat building, maintenance and repair. The program consists
of over 30 courses a year, including ABYC’s seven certifications (Electrical,
Engines & Support Systems, AC/Refrigeration, Composite Boat Building, Marine Corrosion
and Marine Systems). All these courses are being offered as part of the
continuing-education program. To register for a class, or for more information
on dates and locations, visit www.abycinc.org.
ABYC has been developing, writing and
updating the safety standards for boat building and repair in the United States for over 50
years. ABYC is actively involved with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) as well as education and certification programs for
marine technicians. These standards are available on CD-ROM, online (Web-STIR)
and in printed form. Membership and general information can be requested by
visiting the ABYC web site at www.abycinc.org.
Founded in 1874, SUNY Maritime is a four-year college
located in Throggs Neck, New York. The first maritime school in the country, SUNY Maritime
prepares students for careers in the maritime industry, government, military,
and private industry. SUNY Maritime offers a solid academic program coupled
with a structured cadet life in the regiment for both men and women. SUNY Maritime College
boasts accredited engineering programs, and undergraduate and graduate degrees
in: Engineering, Naval Architecture, Marine Transportation/ Business
Administration, Maritime Studies, Marine Environmental Science, Humanities,
International Transportation and Trade, and a Master's degree in International
Transportation Management.
Founded in 1930, the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is
the only nationally accredited and state-certified distance-learning school of
small-craft design in the United States. As the not-for-profit educational affiliate of the American Boat and Yacht Council, the mission of
the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is threefold:
■ To provide our students with the skills and knowledge
required to build a rewarding career in the profession of yacht and small-craft
naval architecture.
■ To support continued growth of the
recreational and small-craft marine community through the development of
well-trained, safety oriented, boat designers developing better products for
the benefit of the boating public.
■ To provide continuing education to marine
industry professionals.
To learn more about
Westlawn, please call (860) 572-7900 or visit the Westlawn website at www.westlawn.edu.