Thanks to the constant back and forth over tariffs and international trade policy, shipyards haven’t been in the news this much since HBO’s The Wire captivated audiences in the early 2000s. Perhaps hoping to capitalize on current events, the United States Navy is hoping to swell its ranks while also reviving the commercial shipbuilding industry in America.
In a recent WHRO Public Media article, author Steve Walsh notes that “[i]ndustry groups are trying to attract more people…into the shipbuilding profession. And they’re getting creative as their number one client – the U.S. Navy – pressures companies to increase production of new ships, while also addressing a growing maintenance backlog.”
Pressure is also coming from Congress. According to Walsh, “[a] bipartisan group of lawmakers has also introduced the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act to spur more ship building.”
Why is there such a renewed interest in shipbuilding today? Perhaps it’s because, as Walsh notes, “[t]he construction of new ships has consistently been behind schedule.” That’s why “recently appointed Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, gave himself 100 days – until July – to draft a blueprint for revitalizing the industry.”
“We spent the last ten years teaching people how to code. We’re going to spend the next 10 years teaching them how to use their hands,” Phelan said during a visit to Newport News Shipbuilding, “That is going to be a critical skill set. And I believe that we can create very good careers.”
However, University of Michigan engineering professor Jonathan Page believes “rebuilding the workforce will likely take longer than a decade…[because] pay hasn’t kept pace with other trades.” For example, he notes that “[a]n electrician could earn two or three times the rate just putting outlets in somebody’s house versus installing cables on a ship.”
A Navy veteran, Page saw firsthand “the aftermath of the industry being hollowed out in the 1990s. After the Cold War, industry and the Navy both lost talent. The number of universities offering degrees in naval architecture and maritime engineering shrank.”
Today, the need for new workers is great. Page points out that “even before talk of expansion, the industry needed another 100,000 workers in the next decade, from trades to engineers, just to keep pace.” As a result, training specifically focusing on the skills needed in the shipbuilding industry, such as welding, basic electrical, hydraulics, and pneumatics, will be essential to a successful revitalization.
For businesses or schools looking to prepare the next generation of shipbuilding workers, it will be important to partner with an established training expert. For example, the experts at Amatrol can put together a custom training program that addresses the specific needs of any organization.
For more than 40 years, Amatrol has been designing training programs combining eLearning curriculum and hands-on experience with trainers equipped with industrial components workers will encounter on the job.
Amatrol’s training programs include cutting-edge technologies in a wide variety of areas, including welding, electrical, pneumatics, hydraulics, and more. The experts at Amatrol can help design a training program that upskills current employees or trains new workers with the skills they need to succeed.
Visit Amatrol online to learn more about its many different types of training programs. For more information about how Amatrol can help you inspire and train the next generation of workers, contact an expert at Amatrol today!
About Duane Bolin
Duane Bolin is a former curriculum developer and education specialist. He is currently a Marketing Content Developer for Amatrol, Inc. Learn more about Amatrol and its technical training solutions, including eLearning, here and connect with Duane on Amatrol’s Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube pages.
