First TECH Program Class Earn Unlimited Licenses

STAR Center, a division of the American Maritime Officers Safety and Education Plan, is pleased to announce the graduation and licensing of the first class of The Engineering Candidate Hawsepipe (TECH) Program. The U.S. Coast Guard approved TECH Program satisfies all STCW 2010 requirements to prepare candidates to sit for the USCG Third Assistant Engineer unlimited horsepower (motor) examinations. The new engineers are now in route to AMO-contracted company vessels as licensed engineering officers and officers in charge of an engineering watch.

The TECH Program is a comprehensive hands-on training program created to support the future need for unlimited engineers by American Maritime Officers (AMO), the largest union of U.S. Coast Guard licensed merchant marine officers. The program provides selected high school graduates who want to pursue careers as seagoing marine engineers with the opportunity to proceed on a marine engineering career path and help fill the developing industry-wide shortage of marine engineers. The program targets high-performing high school graduates with an interest in the merchant marine and mentors them during comprehensive training onboard ship and ashore.

The TECH Program includes all required USCG and STCW 2010 training and assessment requirements. Alternating between shore-side and at-sea phases, the program includes over 10 months of shore-side classroom education and 360 days of at-sea training as an apprentice engineer.

“We are all very proud of the first TECH class and their effort and dedication to the program,” said STAR Center Director of Training Phil Shullo. “Through a refined selection process and a focused learning environment, both at sea and at STAR Center, we are able to produce excellent shipboard engineers with the knowledge, skills and professionalism to advance up the ranks at sea to industry leading Chief Engineers. There are currently three follow-on classes in the pipeline and the fifth TECH Program class will convene at STAR Center in January.”