Defense industry group surveys supply chain about job details
An industry group is asking manufacturers for details about jobs to be filled as General Dynamics Electric Boat expands its workforce to keep up with the U.S. Navy’s demand for submarines.
The Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance has received a two-year $18.6 million Department of Defense grant to survey manufacturers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island to “open up job exploration and employment opportunities to more than 5,000 potential workers.”
It’s the latest effort to develop a workforce with basic industrial and manufacturing skills and exposure to robotics, automation and artificial intelligence. Electric Boat’s shipyards at Groton and Quonset Point, Rhode Island, are adjusting to escalating workloads as the U.S. Navy contracts for construction of Virginia-class submarines and the next-generation Columbia class.
Among the questions asked of hundreds of manufacturers is if they have trouble finding and recruiting qualified workers and if new employees have sufficient technical knowledge, skills and literacy to be productive.
The grant will help expand the availability of workers in submarine manufacturing, particularly pipefitters, shipfitters and welders, said Molly Donohue Magee, executive director of the industry group.
Thesubmarine shipbuilding sector has collaborated over the past four years with state and local governments to establish training programs to support EB’s hiring in Connecticut and Rhode Island. The Pentagon contract will provide a skilled workforce to keep up with increased hiring at Electric Boat and at suppliers, said Kevin Graney, president of EB.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a member of the Armed Services Committee, said the industry group will bring together leaders from universities and colleges, business, manufacturing and workforce development “to ensure we are connecting people with in-demand skills and training to land good-paying jobs.”
Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said the workforce development contract will support new training to expand the region’s manufacturing workforce.
Finding qualified workers for EB is critical as the submarine manufacturer looks to hire as many as 18,000 employees in the next 10 years, Graney told business owners, representatives and others early this year. EB has surpassed 17,000 workers and the manufacturer must replace retiring baby boomers in addition to hiring to fill new jobs.
The Malloy administration in 2018 approved nearly $85 million in grants, incentives and loans to help EB add employees and expand its Groton site to accommodate the sub builder’s rising workload. The state acted to allay concerns by the Defense Department that the work could be done.
EB is building a 200,000- square-foot assembly building at its Groton shipyard as part of an $850 million expansion. The company will add to and update other manufacturing spaces and build a floating dry dock to launch Columbia submarines.