ATTENTION SOUTH SHORE BUSINESS OWNERS
FREE BASIC ENTREPRENEURIAL WORKSHOP ON DECEMBER 13
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS & HOW THEY HELP TO DETERMINE THE HEALTH OF YOUR BUSINESS
- Tuesday, December 6 & Tuesday, December 13, 2005
- 9 a.m. - Noon (Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.)
- AT Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce, 10 Cordage Park Circle, Suite 231, Plymouth, MA
- For Registration/Information, contact Kathi Torres @ 508-822-1020
NAUTICAL TERMS & TIDBITS FROM USCG WAYPOINTS
Did you know that showing "Bare Poles," indicates that a sailing vessel has taken in all her sails due to strong violent winds?
Did you know that to clean a wooden vessel's hull by applying heat to soften the pitch and then scraping the seaweed and barnacles is called "Breaming"?
A MESSAGE FROM DIRECTOR OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT JANE C. EDMONDS
AND TOM KELLEY, SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS SERVICES
Those who have served in the Armed Forces offer employers a strong sense of integrity, discipline, and respect along with acquiring the training needed in today's workforce including high-tech skills and leadership experience. The best way to serve veterans and to maximize economic growth in the Commonwealth is to offer meaningful employment opportunities to servicemen and women who have recently returned from serving our country as well as those who have served in the past.
We invite you to sign up and to be acknowledged as a "Veteran Friendly Employer." We appreciate your commitment in considering veterans in your hiring decisions.
If you would like to sign up to become a Veteran Friendly Employer, send an e-mail with "Veterans" in the Subject Line to Leona.Roach@boatMA.com to receive a copy of the single page form.
INTERESTED IN A SINGLE DAY OF TRAINING ON
FORKLIFTS, HYDRAULIC TRAILERS AND TRAVELIFTS?
MMTA is considering hosting a one day training seminar open to all member employees that would supply safety instruction, coursework and testing in the correct use of forklifts, hydraulic trailers and travelifts. The purpose of this message is to evaluate your interest in such a program.
The 6 hour marine equipment safety seminar would consist of formal classroom instruction on safe operation, maintenance and inspection of various types of equipment. Following the classroom portion, OSHA also requires that a performance evaluation be performed on the actual equipment that an employee will operate. On site Performance Evaluations would be conducted at member locations on their own equipment. Time estimates for on site evaluations are on average one-half hour per person per piece of equipment. You will be able to schedule the performance evaluations directly with the evaluator at the end of the classroom portion. The training team of consultants is also available for the development of a complete marine business safety program for member firms. Pricing is specific to your needs and facility.
It is projected that if 30 individuals were to enroll in the class it would be cost effective. MMTA estimates that hosting the event and providing a box lunch would cost $95 per employee. Note that this price does not include the cost of on site, equipment specific evaluations: this would be estimated and invoiced by the training provider based on the number of employees, equipment and location.
Please let us know if you would be interested in this training sometime in the 1st quarter of 2006. Send an e-mail to Leona.Roach@boatMA.com indicating how many employees you might send. We welcome comments on the scope of the training as well.
YEAR END APPEAL FOR SUPPORT AND DONATIONS
The Massachusetts Marine Trades Education Trust (MMTET) awarded seventeen (17) scholarships totaling almost $17,000 in 2005 to men and women attending marine trades' courses on the post-secondary level that were working or were committed to working in our industry.
Most of these William Armstrong awards went to students enrolled in the marine technology courses at the New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) and Massasoit Community College (MCC). Many of these recipients are now working in our industry as marine technicians; a few are just completing a second year of instruction leading to an associate's degree, some working part-time in the industry while they go to school. MMTET has noted an increased demand for these scholarship monies exceeding our ability to provide such funds.
MMTET has also been active in support of the marine technology programs at the high school and post secondary levels, most notably in support of the NEIT, MCC and Ben Franklin Institute of Technology (BFIT) courses. We have supplied expertise in the areas of cuiriculum development, shop & lab set up, equipment and inventory, marketing of the programs, instructors, and the care and feeding of student participants including advice, scholarships and job placement. Our industry has been most supportive in in-kind donations to these programs.
WE NOW APPEAL TO YOU FOR YOUR HELP.
WE NEED FUNDS TO CONTINUE AND TO ENHANCE THESE EFFORTS. WE ARE MAKING SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS IN SUPPLYING 'NEW BLOOD' TO WORK IN OUR INDUSTRY, EVEN TO THE EXTENT OF PUTTING A SMALL DENT IN THE SHORTAGE OF MARINE TECHNICIANS.
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTABLE. MMTET IS A 501C3 REGISTERED WITH THE I.R.S. AND WILL PROVIDE A TAX FORM TO EACH DONOR TO ENABLE YOU TO CLAIM YOUR TAX DEDUCTION FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION.
On behalf of my fellow trustees and myself, thank you in advance for your support.
Sincerely,
Ed Lofgren, Trustee
MA Marine Trades Education Trust
P.O. Box 272
Milton, MA 02186
MMTET@BOATMA.COM
SURVEY OF COMMONWEALTH MARINE TRADES WORKFORCE
HIGHLIGHTS MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT INDUSTRY
In November MMTA Director Ed Lofgren and Executive Director Leona Roach joined Colleen Price of the South Coastal Workforce Investment Board to present the findings of the Marine Trades Workforce Needs Assessment conducted during the summer of 2005 to Jane C. Edmonds, Commonwealth Secretary of Workforce Development. The report was well received by all and MMTA looks forward to working on a new proposal that would fund a similar assessment of all of the recreational marine businesses in Massachusetts expanding the scope of the survey beyond the South Coastal area.
Great thanks go out to all of the marine businesses who took time to participate in the survey and also to the partners in and the generous underwriters of the study including, Massachusetts Department of Workforce Development, Commonwealth Corporation, Squantum Marine Consulting, Urban Harbors Institute, South Coastal Workforce Investment Board and Massasoit Community College.
The Final Report may be downloaded at: http://www.uhi.umb.edu/publications.htm
Below is a summary of the misconceptions that the survey dispelled:
A recent survey conducted to determine the current and future labor needs of the recreational marine trades industry in the South Coastal region of Massachusetts has resulted in remarkable findings relative to the lack of qualified technicians available for employment as well as revealing widespread misconceptions about compensation rates and seasonality of marine trades' jobs.
The Massachusetts Marine Trades Association (MMTA), in partnership with the South Coastal Workforce Investment Board, Squantum Marine Consulting, Massasoit Community College and the Urban Harbors Institute at UMASS Boston surveyed marine businesses throughout the South Coastal region in an effort to identify factors inhibiting the growth of the recreational marine industry in Massachusetts. Survey results revealed widely held misconceptions about the marine trades industry which discourage the unemployed from seeking opportunities in the industry and further perpetuate the marine trades' workforce shortage epidemic.
The most common of misconceptions is that marine trades' jobs are seasonal, part time, low paying and relatively inaccessible in expensive waterfront communities. These myths inhibit potential employees from pursuing gainful employment in the recreational marine trades. The study finds that while some jobs are weather dependent or seasonal (dock workers and boat washers), nearly 70% of all positions are year round and full time. The full time, year round employment is a near certainty for those skilled positions in the greatest demand, master technicians, for which over 90% are sought full-time and year-round. Additional opportunities for overtime income are routine for skilled employees throughout the busy seasons.
The survey also found that approximately 30% of respondents are located inland and upland away from the coast. The number of marine businesses located inland is expected to increase as waterfront real estate prices command higher and better uses for the coastline. The survey demonstrated that recreational marine employment is available away from the coast as many marine businesses do not require waterfront access to be engaged in engine, accessory or subcomponent repairs. When asked whether the lack of qualified technicians is inhibiting business growth, nearly 80% of respondents replied affirmatively. While qualified technicians are among the most difficult positions to fill due in large part to the lack of marine trades' educational venues, at present respondents are seeing to hire an average of 1.5 technicians per business. As the current generation of technicians retires, employers projected the need to increase over the next 5 years.
An equally problematic misconception negatively impacting the health of the industry is that marine trades' employees are not well compensated. Among employers that responded to wage portion of the survey, their technicians receive an average of $15-$20 hourly with the maximum reaching $30 per hour in addition to the overtime compensation often available.
Marine industry employers are particularly generous in funding their employees further technical education, nearly 70% of indicated they had encouraged and subsidized such training and certification. Technical education is recognized as a win-win for both employers and employees as the employee earns a higher wage the employer is allowed a higher "charge out" rate for more experienced and skilled employers.
Survey findings conclude that educational opportunities are the key to maintaining and growing the recreational marine trades industry in the South Coastal region of Massachusetts and at large. Respondents expressed overwhelming support for local education centers that could offer a variety of marine trades' courses. "This situation can be turned around by viewing the survey's findings as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. The critical need for skilled marine trades' employees must be coupled with vocational technical school curriculum and state employment centers. I represent one marine business, yet alone we have a pressing and current need for several marine technical positions," stated Ed Lofgren, owner of 3A Marine, Trustee of the Massachusetts Marine Trades Educational Trust and MMTA Board member.
The recreational marine trades industry is vital to both the rich maritime history of Massachusetts and its economy, contributing nearly $2 billion annually in economic activity to the Commonwealth. Subject to the availability of funding, the MMTA looks forward to expanding the geographic scope of the survey statewide in 2006 in order to more accurately assess the little known employment opportunities manifest in the Commonwealth's recreational marine industry and to further dispel the commonly held misconceptions.
WE WANT YOUR MARINE INDUSTRY PHOTOS!
MMTA is seeks your photographs of the Massachusetts Recreational Boating Industry to add to its library. We need photos of marinas, boatyards, retailers, service and repairers. We need photos of men and women at work in the boating industry (like Travelifts operating or workers laying fiberglass or painting). We welcome photos of your facilities, your boatyard dogs, your staff, boats at rest, underway, and being repaired. Photos selected will be used in rotation on the website in rotation and/or in materials used to educate the public and officials about the importance of the marine trades in the Commonwealth. Please send all photos in a high resolution version and indicate if a photo credit is applicable or not. Send to Leona.Roach@boatMA.com
UPCOMING MARINE INDUSTRY EVENTS
CLICK HERE: http://www.boatma.com/membersonly/memberscalendar.html
MMTA-STAPLES BUSINESS ADVANTAGE PROGRAM
How Do I Enroll?
It's easy. Click Here, or visit the MMTA Members Only Section at www.BoatMA.com and click on the STAPLES LOGO.
E-MAIL CHANGES?
Unlike the US Post Office, the cyberspace postmaster does not forward your e-mail. Has your e-mail address changed? If so, be sure to let us know so you won't miss an issue of MMTA ENews: Send a notice of any email address changes or requests to opt out of future mailings to: webmaster@boatMA.com
ADVERTISE ON BOATMA.COM
THE BEST PROMOTIONAL VALUE FOR YOUR MARINE BUSINESS!
If you do ANY advertising, this is THE place to be! Only for MMTA members, the BOATMA.com web site draws thousands of boaters every single day. There is no better place to get exposure for your marine trades business! Consider adding your BANNER AD to the site as the boat show season is just around the corner when the BoatMA.com site experiences a huge jump in viewers.
MMTA also invites you to sponsor an ENews Brief. We will feature an image and some text about your company right at the top of a ENews Brief like this one, which is sent to all MMTA members. What a great business-to-business opportunity!
Email webmaster@boatma.com or call David Watson, the BoatMA.com webmaster, at 508-240-2533 to sign up today!
SHARE THE WEALTH!
Like what you have read? PLEASE share these ENews briefs with colleagues and staff of MMTA member firms. While emails are sent to one contact at a Member Firm, all employees of member firms can benefit from this information.
HAVE AN ITEM FOR ENEWS? Drop us a line at: Leona.Roach@BoatMA.co
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