Technical College News

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. shipyard Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) is expanding its partnership with a local technical college in an effort to advance the maritime manufacturing industry and meet growing workforce demand within the region.In fall 2022, FBS and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) designed a specialized training program for FBS employees to advance their welding and ship/pipe-fitting techniques. Since the launch, 97 participants have successfully completed this five-week course offered through the NWTC Sturgeon Bay campus.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) earlier this month awarded a $50 million federal grant to H2theFuture, a 25-organization partnership aiming to develop a new energy cluster in South Louisiana, spanning the clean hydrogen life cycle, from R&D at Louisiana universities, to an end-use project at the Port of South Louisiana.The award is one of 21 projects from around the country chosen from 529 applicants that were funded by a $1 billion appropriation from the American Rescue Plan Act…

New federal money promises dramatic impacts throughout the United States’ inland waterways system in 2022 and beyond. This report focuses on America’s central rivers; the Western rivers will be covered in a future report. These central rivers reach 11,000 miles, from Pennsylvania to Florida and from Texas to South Dakota.Consider the money within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “Civil Works Program Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), 2022 Construction Spend Plan.”In Arkansas…

Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corporation, has provided its Mercury University curriculum along with 90hp FourStroke outboard engines and tools to high schools in Florida, New York and Virginia to help prepare the next generation of marine service technicians and address the industry’s workforce shortage.In a survey conducted by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas prior to the pandemic, more than 85% of boat dealers suggested they had multiple positions in their businesses that were unfilled…

Harvey Gulf, an offshore vessel owner focused on the Gulf of Mexico region, said Wednesday it had appointed Jon Holvik, formerly with Siemens Energy, as Executive Vice President, Business Development.Holvik has been brought on board to enhance the marketing capabilities of Harvey Gulf International Marine, Harvey Gulf Subsea Solutions, Harvey Fuel, and its Offshore Windfarm Vessel Support division. He is of Norwegian descent and spent most of his career with Kongsberg Maritime. He started with Kongsberg in his homeland of Norway, eventually moving to the United States in 1998.

U.S. shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine is gearing up to build the U.S. Navy's new guided missile frigates, welcoming key leaders to Marinette, Wis. Tuesday to break ground on the largest building in the shipyard's history.The multimillion dollar building is part of the company’s most recent $200 million shipyard capital expansion underway to support construction of the U.S. Navy's newest class of ships.Fincantieri Marinette Marine was awarded the contract in April 2020 to design and build the first Constellation-class guided missile frigate, with options for up to nine additional ships.

Miami shipyard RMK Merrill-Stevens says it is hiring 75 new employees over the next two months to staff its newly renovated North Yard and South Yard. The hiring campaign follows years full of updates after Rahmi M. Koç, a Turkish philanthropist, purchased the shipyard in 2013 while committing to restore the yard to its former glory. RMK Merrill-Stevens is known as the first shipyard in Florida and is now one of the most updated and capable shipyards in the region.RMK Merrill-Stevens provides yacht service…

In its storied 135-year history of NYK, Akihiro Mori now holds a distinguished place in the company, as effective April 1, 2020, Mori becomes the first internally trained seafarer promoted to captain.The story is an important one for the maritime industry as a whole, as the plight of the seafarer and the ongoing quest to find and groom the ‘next generation’ is universally shared in 2020.In fiscal 2006, NYK became the first shipping company in Japan to hire graduates from ordinary…

West Kentucky Community & Technical College is a SACS accredited college with an annual enrollment of 6,500 traditional and 2,897 online, long distance students that has achieved the ASPEN Institute Award on three occasions. The school is recognized as one of the leading colleges in developing and teaching degree programs through online technology to long distance learners and working from one main campus and 7 satellite campuses. This school’s Marine Technology and Logistics program is designed to be taught in an innovative environment.

With 50 years dedicated to polymer coating and composite manufacturer Belzona, Geoff Binks looks back on his experience in the industry and maintenance sector. Geoff Binks was born and raised in Harrogate and joined Belzona in 1965 direct from Technical College with a chemistry background. He first worked in R&D on a broad range of products, particularly the Belzona Metals which saw radical development in 1968 with the introduction of the first Belzona Super Metal formulation.

The emerging technology tool is embraced by award winning West Kentucky Community & Technical College’s Inland Logistics and Marine Institute and its students. Years ago, it was not uncommon for a deckhand on a towboat with no higher education to work his way up the ladder to become a Captain or Chief Engineer. Today as technologies are added and new U.S. Coast Guard regulations are put into place, individuals are finding that working on America’s Inland Waterways requires not only a love of the waterways, but also a commitment to continuous learning.

More than 100 city officials, educators, community members, and representatives from the river industry attended West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s open house and ribbon cutting for its Inland Logistics and Marine Institute (ILMI) August 10. Visitors toured the recently renovated 8,000 square-foot facility located at 631 Marine Way between local river businesses and Paducah's downtown. The building includes classrooms, a state-of-the-art radar lab, diesel lab, video lab and five offices. “WKCTC’s Inland Logistics and Marine Institute will allow students the opportunity to train using the latest technology as well as providing a training venue to serve the local maritime and transportation industry,” said Troy Courtney, WKCTC’s ILMI director.

Jörg Beiderbeck, recognized as a figure among the world’s top megayacht designers, has passed away at the age of 69 on the evening of Sunday, August 2, at his home in Bremen-Vegesack, after a long illness. He leaves behind his long-term partner as well as a son and a daughter. beiderbeck designs GmbH has lost not only the man who gave it its name, but one of its four partners. As a megayacht designer, Beiderbeck enjoyed worldwide respect and recognition from owners, shipyards and among his colleagues. "It’s not only beiderbeck designs that is grieving.

West Kentucky Community and Technical College will host an open house and ribbon cutting for the Inland Logistics and Marine Institute August 10 from 4 ­– 6 p.m. at 631 Marine Way in downtown Paducah. The event will highlight the completion of the 8,000-square-foot facility that will provide training and education for the logistics and marine industries. The Institute also houses WKCTC’s Logistics & Operations Management and Marine Technology programs. Students can earn an Associate in Applied Science degree in these programs, completely online. Registration for the fall semester is currently underway. Classes begin August 17.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal appointed James "Ray" Barker to the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council. Barker, of Raceland, is the Director of Human Resources at Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. The Louisiana Workforce Investment Council serves to develop a strategic plan to coordinate and integrate a workforce development delivery system to ensure efficiency and cooperation between public and private entities by advising the governor on the needs of Louisiana’s employers and its workforce.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) donated vessel photographs to nine maritime educational institutes in Japan in commemoration of the 130th anniversary of its foundation. On September 25, MOL Managing Executive Officer Takaaki Inoue presented a vessel photo to Yuji Hayashi, Head of the Faculty of Maritime Sciences at Kobe University. Hayashi responded, “Students will be captivated by the sight of this merchant vessel and set their life goals. On September 30, in a donation ceremony at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology…

The Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals (IRPT) Trade Association announced today that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Lewis & Clark Community College - National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) and the Mississippi River Transportation, Distribution and Logistics (MRTDL) Consortium. “IRPT promotes the education of the river industry professionals. We continue to see the need for skilled workers in occupations in river transportation,” said Hugh McConnell, president of IRPT.

The MTU Aiken Plant, which produces world-class diesel engines and components, has been named South Carolina Chamber of Commerce‘s 2014 Small/Medium Manufacturer of the Year. The facility is operated by MTU America Inc. The MTU brand is part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems within the Marine and Industrial Power Systems division of Rolls-Royce. The award was presented during the inaugural Palmetto Vision Awards Gala held on 18 September at the Marriott Columbia. This prestigious recognition – presented by the nation’s first state chamber Accredited with Distinction by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – is the most comprehensive statewide manufacturing award in the nation. MTU America was one of hundreds of companies nominated from across the Palmetto state.

MTU Onsite Energy Corp., a Rolls-Royce Power Systems company providing diesel and gas-based power system solutions, has announced the launch of a new youth apprentice program. The vocational training program is designed for high school juniors and seniors and will combine hands-on training in a manufacturing setting with classroom instruction. The program will begin this fall, in partnership with Mankato Area Public Schools, South Central College, Kato Cable, a full service cable assembly company, and EI Microcircuits, an electronics design and manufacturing company. The new youth apprenticeship program will launch with junior and senior-level students at Mankato East and West High Schools who have completed prerequisite coursework in welding…

Ellicott Dredge Enterprises announced two personnel changes to its senior management team. Gert de Vries has joined as Senior Director of Engineering, in which capacity he will be supporting the engineering departments of all of Ellicott's brands, principally Ellicott and Rohr-Idreco. He will also be mentoring the company’s engineering teams. Additionally, Rob Schettle has been promoted to General Manager at Ellicott's subsidiary Liquid Waste Technology. He will now be responsible for running Ellicott’s plant in New Richmond, Wisconsin.

148 young people start their apprenticeships in Germany & at other locations, including America for the first time. Tognum has taken the German version of cooperative education to the U.S. for the first time and is applying it at its subsidiary, Tognum America. ”We develop, produce and maintain state-of-the-art engines and energy systems, and to do this, we need qualified staff. With this investment in the future, the company is making an important contribution to counteract the lack of specialists,” explained Ingo Metzer, Head of HR at Tognum.

The Columbia/Snake River System defines shortsea shipping, and promises much, much more. Lewiston, Idaho, is perhaps best known to tourists as the turnaround for a Columbia River cruise or the jumping-off point for a trip to Hell’s Canyon, North America’s deepest gorge. For anyone transporting cargo, however, it’s known as the port farthest inland of any on the West Coast – a whopping 465 miles inland from the mouth of the Columbia River. Located close to the border between Washington and Oregon…

Navy, Industry partner for research; sharing costs, risks, and rewards to reduce total ownership costs . America’s shipyards are fierce competitors, but they can also be close collaborators. The National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) is a cooperative effort for American shipbuilders and the U.S. Navy, with the aim of improving efficiency and economy to reduce the cost of Navy ship construction and repair in American shipyards. According to the Navy’s NSRP program manager Connie Bowling of the Naval Sea Systems Command…