Marina Staff Training, a Win-Win Situation
Published: Sunday, March 25, 2012 7:00 am
By: Captain Jack Klang & GSK Enterprises
Having a trained staff at marinas benefits the boaters with superior service. It benefits the summertime staff because they know how to do their job on opening day of the season. And it benefits the harbormaster who must ready the marina facilities for opening day.
Working on the docks of a local marina is a coveted summer job for students on summer break, as well as retirees looking for an outdoor job around boats. In past years, at many marinas, the summer employees orientation and training for their new duties as dock attendants has been limited to: “Give us your social security number, here is your T-shirt and your work schedule.”
Untrained or poorly trained employees make mistakes that can be costly to both the boater and the marina. Examples include: gasoline pumped into the water tank, holding tank eruptions, poor line handling, and missing docking assistance.
Boaters suffer the consequences also. Untrained employees don’t know their starboard from their port, VHF radio communication is garbled, lines end up in the water, and restrooms and showers are a mess.
With all of these unpleasant possibilities, why would anyone apply for a summer job where problems loom? It is the professional training seminar that makes the difference. There takes place a rapid fire, intensive, full day of training workshops, followed by a written final exam where a score of 100% is required. Since 1997 these certified dock attendants have changed the way service is delivered.
The results are well worth the cost of sending new employees to the Marina Training Seminars. These employees receive accolades from boaters daily; there are no mistakes at the service dock, customer relations are outstanding, and 85% of these employees return in succeeding years to the best summer job they have ever had.
