High School
Most employers prefer to hire applicants who have a high school diploma. If you are interested in this work, take mathematics classes and shop classes in metals, woodworking, and electronics while you are in high school. These classes will give you experience completing detailed and precise work. In shop classes, you'll also learn how to use a variety of tools and read blueprints. Take computer classes; you will probably be using this tool throughout your career for such things as diagnostic and design work. Science classes, such as physics, will also be beneficial to you. Finally, don't forget to take English classes. These classes will help you hone your reading and research skills, which will be needed when you consult technical manuals for repair and maintenance information throughout your career.
Postsecondary Training
Many marine services technicians learn their trade on the job. They find entry-level positions as general boatyard workers, doing such jobs as cleaning boat bottoms, and work their way into the position of service technician. Or they may be hired as trainees. They learn how to perform typical service tasks under the supervision of experienced mechanics and gradually complete more difficult work. The training period may last for about three years.
Other technicians decide to get more formal training and attend vocational or technical colleges for classes in engine repair, electronics, and fiberglass work. Some schools, such as Cape Fear Community College in N.C. and Washington County Community College in Maine, have programs specifically for marine technicians. These schools often offer an associate's degree in areas such as applied science. Classes students take may include mathematics, physics, electricity, schematic reading, and circuit theory. Boat manufacturers and other types of institutions, such as the American Boat Builders and Repairers Association, Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea, and the WoodenBoat School, offer skills training through less formal courses and seminars that often last several days or a few weeks. The military services can also provide training in electronics.