The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC), in partnership with Yamaha, Suzuki, Mercury, Honda and the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA), participated in and judged Marine Service Technology competitions at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, held June 23–27 in Atlanta. This year saw the highest level of industry participation to date, with all major outboard engine manufacturers involved.

“ABYC began participating about five years ago to support the next generation of marine technicians and help strengthen workforce development across the industry,” said Mike Bonicker, ABYC lead instructor. “We reached out to manufacturers and organizations to help provide the materials, equipment and support needed for the Marine Service Technology competition. The response this year was outstanding.”

The annual conference recognizes and celebrates the nation’s top career and technical education students, featuring more than 110 competitions and more than 10,000 participants. In addition to marine technology, the event includes contests in welding, construction trades, manufacturing, transportation, health care, hospitality and more.

The Marine Service Technology competition includes individual hands-on labs and a written exam. ABYC developed two of the lab stations to evaluate competitors’ electrical knowledge. Bonicker and Dave Broadbent, ABYC senior director of business development, served as judges.

The conference concluded with an awards ceremony Friday night at State Farm Arena, where the top three finishers in each competition were honored on stage and presented with gold, silver and bronze medals.

2025 SkillsUSA National Winners – Marine Service Technology

High School Division

• Gold: Charles Todd, McIntosh County Academy, Darien, Ga.

• Silver: Charles Powell, Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence, Ridgeland, S.C.

• Bronze: Harrison Adams, Bridging Communities Regional CTEC, New Kent, Va.

College/Postsecondary Division

• Gold: Andrew Couey, Carteret Community College, Morehead City, N.C.

• Silver: Nicholas J. Walter, Alexandria Technical & Community College, Alexandria, Minn.

• Bronze: Michael Turk, Chippewa Valley Technical College, Eau Claire, Wis.

“All of us in the marine industry know that bringing younger workers into the field has been a long-standing challenge,” Bonicker said. “If your company isn’t engaged in these efforts, or is looking for new ways to get involved, SkillsUSA is a great place to start.”

For more information about the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, visit www.nlsc.skillsusa.org. To learn more about ABYC’s resources for schools looking to establish or enhance marine service programs, visit www.teachboats.org.

About ABYC

Since 1954, the nonprofit American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) has developed safety standards for boat design, construction, equipage, repair and maintenance. The essential global source of marine industry technical information, ABYC's product safety standards, credentialing, education, training, and other tools help members make boating safer.