Yamaha Marine last month continued its support of the National SkillsUSA Competition, which took place in Atlanta. Yamaha organized and facilitated the Marine Service Technology segment, which awarded medals to three high school and three college students.
SkillsUSA is a national membership association serving college/postsecondary, high school and middle school students who are preparing for trade, technical and skill-service careers. The organization gives students opportunities to test their skills against others for a chance to compete on a national level to earn scholarships and other awards.
“We understood the importance of this competition when Yamaha Marine began attending the national competition in 2015,” training department manager Gregg Snyder said in a statement. “In an effort to develop a pipeline of qualified technicians for our dealer partners, we devote substantial time and resources to SkillsUSA on an annual basis, not only for our dealers and technical schools but also for students attending those schools.”
Yamaha sponsored 15 labs at the competition. The hands-on test stations featured 2- stroke and 2-stroke outboards, and sterndrive and inboard troubleshooting and repair. A written examination covered diagnostics, service and repair of accessory items. The labs tested the abilities of contestants by evaluating their skills in such areas as precision measuring, electrical testing, component identification, repair and diagnostics.
“SkillsUSA has helped build my resume and confidence competing in front of audiences,” Dalton Hoyt, a student at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, said in the statement. “In addition, Yamaha gave me an opportunity to further my education outside of school and helped me secure a job in the marine industry.”
SkillsUSA competitions also provide opportunities for dealers to recruit qualified technicians at the state level. Yamaha Marine Service team members attend around 10 state competitions per the year.
