The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a small international skill-building program for American shipbuilding workers, designed to connect community colleges and technical schools in the U.S. with training programs overseas. The knowledge exchange would help bring cutting-edge practices from East Asian yards back to the United States – one of many steps that the Trump administration is taking in an attempt to boost shipbuilding capability at home.
The department has set aside $8 million to help develop a “specialized, internationally recognized trade curricula” in partnership with experts in South Korea, Japan, Finland, Italy and Canada. (These nations include priority partners for the Trump administration, which favors Finnish icebreakers and South Korean efficiency; Italy’s shipbuilding champion, Fincantieri, also has a role in U.S. defense shipbuilding.) In addition to joint curriculum development, the program will also send American workers overseas to learn at partner institutions. The priority technical positions for the four-year program include boilermakers, electricians, steamfitters, shipwrights and welders.
Organizations with an interest in grant funding for the program may apply at https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/360093.
“Working closely with our allies will advance the Department of Labor’s mission to create effective shipbuilding apprenticeship programs right here in the United States,” said Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “We are committed to helping President Trump restore maritime dominance by preparing American workers for success, which will lead to more mortgage-paying jobs and enhance national security.”
Read more on Maritime Executive
