22 MARCH 2018 • FOGHORN TRAINING “I was impressed by Murray’s pre- sentation at last year’s PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2017 in Seattle, so I looked into the example he used then, which was BC Ferries,” said Jerry Poyant, Director of Operations for Hy-Line Cruises in Hyannis, MA. “But, I soon found myself overwhelmed by the scope of what BC Ferries was doing and thought it seemed difficult.” Poyant spoke to MLS’s Peter Frankel and Elisabeth Dent who explained that everyone starts somewhere, and then improves from there. Many operators may feel that implementing online training seems daunting. “They told me to start slow and think about what we already have here at Hy-Line Cruises,” recalled Poyant. After reviewing his existing training materials, Poyant had the confidence needed to take on a full-scale system change. For Poyant, improving training was a key mandate. However, he rec- ognized the challenges in training seasonal personnel with limited resources (inconvenient processes, no classroom space, basic materials, etc.) and was eager to learn about how he could use online tools to manage training. Poyant began the online training program with PVA-provided courses and crew pre-hire familiarization manuals. New hires are exposed to vessel training prior to their first day, allowing them to start their job well- prepared and with basic information. Previously, due to time con- straints during the busy spring season, paperwork wouldn’t be filed in a timely manner. However, as soon as crew started using their LMS, Poyant was able to access reports to show their progress and get a firm idea of how everyone was performing. It’s only been a few months since im- plementation, but Hy-Line Cruises, which operates high-speed ferries to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard to/ from Hyannis, is already seeing the benefits of eliminating paper records. Recordkeeping is much cleaner and more efficient. Hy-Line Cruises is currently working on a video presentation for spring, a new training module and a customer service module. And, as Hy-Line Cruises’ summer gets underway, the operation is excited for the potential usage and expansion of their online training system. n About the Author Murray Goldberg is the founder and CEO of Marine Learning Systems. Along with Jerry Poyant, Hy-Line Cruises, Goldberg presented a session at the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2018 in Savannah, GA, on LMS for operators to see real-world examples of how technology can be used to improve operations and training.