The U.S. Department of Labor is awarding nearly $14 million for shipbuilding training programs in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, to “advance the next generation of American shipbuilders through hands-on, cutting-edge training programs developed in conjunction with international partners,” the agency says.
The department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs is providing $8 million to Delaware County Community College in southeast Pennsylvania and $5.8 million to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
“Restoring America’s maritime dominance can’t be accomplished without skilled American workers,” said Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in announcing the grants. “In line with President Trump’s executive orders, these projects will help train our next generation of shipbuilders and ensure the skills critical to revitalizing our shipbuilding industry are developed here at home.”
The project's aim is to “develop a specialized, internationally recognized curriculum on shipbuilding trades to expand apprenticeship opportunities in the United States, working directly with U.S. shipyards and supporting innovation in areas such as modular and icebreaker technology,” according to the department.
The program is tied to the moves by the U.S., Canada, Finland and other allied nations to cooperate on Arctic and polar regions security, such as the renewed Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Pact and construction of a new generation of ice-capable ships.
Delaware County Community College, founded in 1967 at Media, Pa., is a federally recognized Maritime Center of Excellence for workforce development and industry partnerships.
Established in 1891, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne, Mass., is one of the nation’s oldest maritime academies and prepares cadets and mid-career professionals to work in shipping, defense, and energy industries.
