Page 26: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2025)

TRAINING & EDUCATION | ATDM

ATDMATDM

DEVELOPPING SKILLED WORKERS TO HELP RECHARGE DEVELOPPING SKILLED WORKERS TO HELP RECHARGE

THE UNITED STATES MARITIME INDUSTRIAL BASETHE UNITED STATES MARITIME INDUSTRIAL BASE

The U.S. Navy needs to dramatically increase the ? eet, especially sub- marines, but the available pool of skilled workers is not keeping pace.

By Edward Lundquist ubmarine construction is ramping up. The Navy hub for advanced manufacturing, and is run by the Institute for continues to build Virginia-class submarines, Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, Va. striving for two per year, and is gearing up build Danville was once a thriving mill town and the primary to- the new Columbia-class of nuclear-powered bal- bacco market of Virginia; it is located in the Southern Virginia

Slistic missile submarines. At the same time, the region, also once known for producing furniture. As these in- industry needs to support the ambitious Australia-U.S.-U.K. dustries declined, the community leaders decided to make the

AUKUS program to make the Royal Australian Navy a nucle- area a hub for tech industries and training. The plan is working, ar submarine navy. as companies are coming to Danville because of the availability

Quali? ed workers are not only needed to build submarines, of people who are coming through the myriad of tech and man- but all types of ships for the Navy. Government and commer- ufacturing training programs available in the area. This attract- cial shipyards involving naval ship construction and repair ed the Navy to work with IALR to create the ATDM program.

have a variety of apprentice programs, internships and part- ATDM offers an intensive 16-week course in ? ve different nerships with trade and vocational schools to develop poten- tracks – welding; computer numerical control (CNC) machin- tial employees. Shipbuilding is not alone in the manufacturing ing; additive manufacturing; non-destructive testing; and quality sector in regards to a heavy demand signal for skilled workers control inspection (metrology). These are the skills that are in ex- in a declining pool of quali? ed candidates. tremely high demand by shipyards and their partners and suppli-

The Navy has invested in “Build Submarines,” a website that ers. The need for workers with these skills is not con? ned to the provides career information and job opportunities to ? nd and Navy and defense industry, but mirror the acute need for people recruit quali? ed people, and offer job skill training programs. with this knowledge and ability throughout manufacturing today.

While the impetus has been the submarine industrial base “We are a workforce training program funded by the U.S. (SIB), the Navy widened the aperture and established the Mari- Navy to reduce time to talent for the maritime industrial base- time Industrial Base (MIB) program of? ce because a lot of what -speci? cally the trades,” said Jason Wells, executive vice the service was doing for the SIB was also bene? cial to the sur- president of manufacturing advancement for IALR. “We’re face domain, and in fact, many aspects of defense manufacturing. focused on the maritime industry manufacturers that work in

A shining success story is the Accelerated Training in Defense subs, aircraft carriers and the entire spectrum of naval archi-

Manufacturing (ATDM) program. ATDM was established under tecture and design, repair and shipbuilding.

the direction of the Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base Program The ATDM program is designed to ef? ciently train quali- to train the future workforce and operationalize an innovation ? ed candidates in essential manufacturing skills and trades to 26 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • November 2025

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