Accelerated Training Program a Boon to Defense Industry.

• Author: Kearney, Tom
• Position: Viewpoint

* While the final size of the Navy's fleet remains a hot discussion topic, there's little question that in the future it will be a lot larger than it is today.

In order to build these ships of tomorrow, the Navy needs to make sure there are enough certified welders and other skilled technicians to do the actual shipbuilding. Fortunately, that assurance is on the horizon thanks to an innovative pilot program known as Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing.

Made possible by a $7 million contract awarded by the Defense Department's Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Office using the Cornerstone other transaction authority, this new fast-track training program will serve as a template for developing skilled workers quickly and at a large enough scale to significantly impact the defense industrial base's manufacturing needs with the creation of regional training centers.

Launched in June in Danville, Virginia, the pilot program addresses skilled workforce gaps faced by defense companies and prepares those workers to be productive on the shop floor from day one. The focused curriculum--developed by the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research and Danville Community College, in partnership with The SPECTRUM Group and Phillips Corp., and through direct engagement with shipbuilders and the shipbuilding industry suppliers--condenses what would typically be an 18-month to two-year program into four months by training eight hours a day, five days per week.

The first 36 students to take the course since it began in June are on track to complete their training by the end of September. Their 40-hour a week training focuses on the Navy's shipbuilding and repair needs of welding, computer numerical control machining, quality assurance/metrology and additive manufacturing.

The pilot program has big potential. For example, if implemented nationally via regional training centers, eight centers could each produce 1,000 graduates a year, adding 8,000 trained personnel to the workforce pool in short order.

Today, vocational training in welding and other manufacturing skills is generally handled by community colleges where the skills being taught are for a broader industry pool and not specifically tailored to the needs of the defense industry. While some larger companies also run their own apprentice training programs, these can be expensive and most of the Tier 1 and 2 manufacturers can't afford to do so.

Since the first ATDM pilot is focused on...