 | In this MMTA ENews Brief: May 13, 2005
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| In this MMTA ENews Brief: May 13, 2005
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Massachusetts wants to make it EASY for you to train and hire this spring!  Did you know you may be eligible to apply for grants for up to $2,000 per new employee if they meet certain criteria? Don't miss this chance to get to know about the Hiring Incentive Training Grant Program The Hiring Incentive Training Grant Program is open to all employers. It provides training grants of up to $2,000 per employee and up to $30,000 a year per company. This program assists in paying training costs for newly hired employees who have been unemployed over a year and those that do not have a call back date from their last employer. Check out the details on the Hiring Incentive Training Grant Program - which businesses are eligible, the grant amounts available, and policies governing the Hiring Incentive program. For more information on the Hiring Training Grant Program, visit: www.detma.org/workforcehitg.htm. For details on ALL of the hiring incentive programs for Massachusetts employers visit: www.ma.gov/wtf Once a curriculum has been developed, a knowledgeable and inspirational instructor selected and students enrolled, the greatest challenge to educating up and coming marine trades students is affording the cost of the equipment needed to train and provide the hands on learning opportunities. MA Marine Trades and the MMTA Educational Trust have done yeoman's work supporting existing programs and establishing several new marine trades education programs statewide along with awarding generous scholarships to those seeking to pursue a career in our industry. Today we ask you to review the wish list of items that are desperately needed to enhance the education of these students. Please consider an in kind contribution of equipment or tools to any one of these programs. The generosity of MA Marine Trades members will ensure that the men and women in these classrooms have the skills, knowledge and exposure to real world marine industry equipment upon graduation. Below are wish lists received from Marshfield High School and Massasoit Community College. The Marshfield High School Boatbuilding class has successfully built a 20' Tolman Alaskan style skiff (Vee hull, approx. 800 lbs.) To complete the project they have asked for our help in soliciting the following:
Be sure to post your help wanted notices here. It's free, it's popular and it works! We have received feedback from many MMTA members who have interviewed and hired applicants through the MMTA jobs bulletin board. This is a free service to member firms: be sure to take full advantage! To post your job vacancies or review the skills of people looking for work in the marine industry in Massachusetts, visit: www.boatma.com/jobs/bbs.pl  Congratulations to the following MMTA member firms whose applications were approved for scholarships, training grants or tool grants by the Education Committee in the first half of 2005. Professional Development Grants
1. A High School senior or graduate who has completed a course of study in the marine trades and has secured a position with a MMTA Full Member Firm and is in need of financial assistance for 'tools of the trade'- Awards up to $500.MMTA Full Members must meet all qualifications for Full, Voting Membership in the Association and must have been a member in good standing for a minimum of the twelve (12) months prior to the Grant application. The Massachusetts Marine Trades Association offers the William Armstrong Scholarship Award to high school seniors or graduates pursuing an education at a qualified college or institute of higher education with the intent of entering the recreational marine trades in Massachusetts. Applicants must be a resident of Massachusetts-Awards up to $1,500. For additional information on MMTA grants, scholarships and scholarship applications contact, Education Committee Chair, Ed Lofgren at 781.749.3250 or erl@3amarine.com or visit www.boatma.com. Grant and scholarship applications may also be found starting on page 69 of the 2005 Membership directory. Coming Soon to The South Coastal Area Early this year the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association in partnership with Massasoit Community College and UMass Boston's Urban Harbors Institute was awarded a generous grant by the South Coastal Workforce Investment Board to conduct a Marine Trades Workforce Needs Survey of recreational marine businesses in 10 towns in the South Coastal area. The survey to be conducted by Squantum Marine Consulting seeks to answer questions such as: how many people are working in the marine trades in Massachusetts? What are the average wages of those positions? How many positions are unfilled due to the lack of qualified applicants? What are the obstacles to finding good employees and keeping them? When you complete and return the survey, the information will be compiled and aggregated by The Urban Harbors Institute (NO individual information is reported). The final report will detail the size, breadth, scope of our business and the workforce needs of the marine trades in Massachusetts. Gathering this data and being able to employ it when applying for training funds or advocating for legislation beneficial to our marine businesses is crucial. The survey itself has been written and will shortly be sent to over 100 MMTA member firms in specific towns in the South Coastal Area (Quincy south to Plymouth). Our goal is a 100% survey response. Please, please when you receive your survey; take the 5 minutes to complete the survey. Your participation in the survey and the final report will enable MMTA to even more effectively advocate on behalf of the marine trades in Massachusetts. at Boston's Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology On May 5th a letter with promotional materials was sent to all MMTA member firms regarding the Marine Technology Certificate Program being launched at Boston's Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in September 2005. Please display the brochures or pass them along to someone who may be interested in a future in the marine industry. For more information or additional brochures, visit www.bfit.edu or contact BFIT Dean of Enrollment Management Norman Kraft at 617.422.4630 ext 122 or via email at nkraft@bfit.edu. The Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association (MMTA), offers a certificate in Marine Technology designed to prepare students for work as Marine Technicians at recreational marine dealerships and service centers, marinas, and manufacturers. The curriculum, built on our 50 years of experience teaching automotive technology will include the principles of engines and of electricity; a survey of marine industry; marine engines and propulsion systems, rigging, and environmental and safety practices as well as math, science, humanities and communication. Most courses are delivered at BFIT, with courses that teach boat systems and rigging taught on-site at a Boston area marina. The program includes site visits to a variety of MMTA member sites for instructional purposes and to expose students to the industry The program includes a paid summer internship at a marine site. Thank you for your support of this program and for helping to spread the word about the program itself. Professional BoatBuilder continues to uphold its tradition of getting valuable knowledge and resources out to the marine industry with its new online job service ProBoatCareers.com and its online training venue EMarineTraining.com. Within its first week, ProBoatCareers.com received 1,795 visitors. Now is the time to get involved! Whether you're seeking new career opportunities, looking for qualified employees, or interested in training and education, you can find it all in one online stop. There is no charge to view the job listings. Simply register your email address and create your own password; you will be given free access to all the job listings. Employers please take advantage of the low rates available to companies that register during the month of April. Furthermore, there is a special section (and discounted rates) on the Web site for academic institutions seeking to place their graduates. www.ProBoatCareers.com. Meanwhile, EMarineTraining.com continues to grow with courses in such topics as The Business of Marine Surveying, Rhino Modeling, Propeller Selection, Intermediate Composite Repair, and Color-Matching Gelcoat. In the coming months EMarineTraining.com will be offering new classes in Vacuum-Bagging, Ensuring Excellence in Hull Design, and Basic AutoCAD. Students currently enrolled in EMarineTraining.com already understand the benefits of e-learning. Material is available 24 hours a day, and a one-hour live class each week offers one-on-one instruction with a qualified instructor who is also reachable via email throughout the duration of the course. For class fees, course descriptions, and enrollment information, visit www.emarinetraining.com today! 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 you business for only $100 per month!
Like what you have read? PLEASE share these ENews briefs with colleagues and staff. 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.com
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