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TRAINING & EDUCATION Nestled in the rural landscape of Mary- land's Eastern Shore is one of the nation's premier maritime training facilities. Located on over 600 acres outside of Eas- ton, Md. is the Calhoon Marine Engineers Beneficial Association Engineering School (MEBA,) a private educational facility for members of the MEBA union. MEBA members are members of the Mer- chant Marine and sail the world delivering their cargos. The school provides MEBA engineers and deck officers with a state-of-the-art training experience to enhance the relia- bility and profitability of the vessels on which they serve while protecting the environment. MEBA has the distinction of having the first national maritime training program designed by both the union and industry. MEBA is the oldest maritime union and the second oldest union in the country. The school is funded by labor and man- agement and governed by a Board of Trustees composed of six union represen- tatives and six shipping company execu- tives. Originally began in Baltimore in 1966, the school expanded their operation by adding the Easton Campus and in 1982, moved the entire school to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Today, more than 1,600 MEBA mem- bers receive training at the school and are enrolled in 42 different courses supple- mented by additional off-site and evening classes. Thirty-one courses are USCG approved; covering marine engineering, control and monitoring technologies from the 1940's to the present day. Nineteen courses have been approved by the Amer- ican Council of Education for a total of 65 credit recommendations. "I believe that 2005 has been one of the most exciting years in the school's thirty- nine year history," said Joyce H. Matthews, director of the school. We expanded the scope of our training to include four new deck courses; supported by the acquisition of the most sophisticat- ed Ship's Bridge Training Suite in the world - gaining international attention at the 2005 TRANSAS User's Conference. We broadened our traditional technical- engineering course offerings to include Marine Electric Propulsion and High- Voltage Safety topics. Our training in maritime security and incident command advanced even further; with the addition of "packaged courses" like Vessel Securi- ty Officer with Crisis and Crowd Manage- ment. The Tankship Liquefied Gases Course was also modernized to reflect contemporary LNG handling and delivery systems. Matthews believes that the school is a leader in maritime education because of the dedicated and energetic faculty. "There are 17 faculty members who teach our courses and the Quality Management System, as certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and recognized by the American December, 2005 • MarineNews 13 3 U P P L Y I N G T H E F E D E R A L G O V E R N M E N T A N D T H E C O M M E R C I A L M A R I N E I N D U S T R Y W I T H T H E T O U G H E S T M O S T D U R A B L E A L U M I N U M W O R K B O A T S A R O U N D g $ A U N T L E S S 2 ! - g g # O M M A N D E R 2 ! - 3 g $ A U N T L E S S 2 ! - Circle 238 on Reader Service Card Circle 220 on Reader Service Card MEBA: Meeting the Challenges of Maritime Training DECEMBER MN2005 2(9-16).qxd 12/5/2005 3:39 PM Page 13
