
Contact: Caroline Chetelat at ABYC
(410) 990-4460,
x22
cchetelat@abycinc.org
ABYC & Westlawn Announce Joint
Continuing Education Program
October 7, 2008, Annapolis, MD: The American Boat
& Yacht Council (ABYC) and the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology
jointly announce that after completing a thorough review of mutually compatible
curriculum, the two organizations have bundled a number of courses together to
create a series of recommended continuing education offerings. Information on
these courses is now posted and available for review at the Westlawn and ABYC
web sites at the following links.
- Detailed CE
Course Information
- Downloadable
Joint CE Course Catalog
- Westlawn CE
Course Enrollment Forms
- ABYC Course
Enrollment Information
Although the ABYC courses are offered
in-class and the Westlawn courses are offered via distance learning, many
courses support each other and provide students with a more comprehensive
background on a particular subject. For example, Westlawn’s distance learning
course Metal Corrosion in Boats is a good prerequisite for the ABYC Marine
Corrosion Certification. Or, if you want to advance your knowledge of Diesel
Engines, it is recommended that you follow-up ABYC’s Diesel Engine &
Support Systems Certification with Westlawn’s Advanced Fuel Systems for Boats.
Mike New, ABYC
Education Director noted, “Westlawn has been ABYC’s educational affiliate for
nearly six years now. It was time that we took a hard look at the courses
being offered to see how they could be integrated to benefit the marine
industry.” “By collaborating together, ABYC and Westlawn have enhanced our
ability to service the educational needs of marine professionals,” says Mike
New, ABYC Education Director.
Dave Gerr, Director of Westlawn commented,
“Both ABYC and Westlawn programs are designed to support careers in the marine
industry. This was done in an effort to assist marine professionals who want
to combine their technical interests with design interests, and develop a full
understanding of all the aspects of boat building – from design through
maintenance. We encourage everyone to review the course information, which can
be found at the Westlawn web site www.westlawn.edu, or the ABYC web site
www.abycinc.org.”
ABYC/Westlawn certificates of completion
and/or Westlawn continuing-education units (CEUs) are granted upon successful
completion of each course. CEUs and certificates are recorded in the student’s
permanent record at both Westlawn and ABYC.
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 ABYC Standards Powered by Rulefinder.net)
and in printed form. Membership
and general information can be requested by visiting the ABYC web site at www.abycinc.org.
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.