(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA)—A public/private partnership—led by Delaware County Community College (DCCC) and shipbuilder Hanwha Philly Shipyard, Inc. (HPSI)—has been awarded an $8 million federal grant over four years to create an innovative, new model of education and training for U.S. shipbuilding that will include sending U.S. instructors and workers overseas to learn advanced shipbuilding techniques to be utilized in America by U.S.-based shipbuilders.

This U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) grant will enable HPSI, in conjunction with the region’s community colleges and Drexel University, a partnership known as the Collegiate Consortium for Workforce & Economic Development (the Consortium), to establish an International Shipbuilding Fellowship program. In addition, the partners will create an internationally recognized curriculum for shipbuilding skilled trades to expand U.S.-based training and strengthen partnerships among U.S. educational institutions, trade unions and shipyards to improve critical workforce pipelines. Participants in the shipbuilding fellowship program are anticipated to include registered apprentices, journeymen, veterans and people with disabilities who will train in high-demand trades such as welding, steelwork, electrical systems, steam fitting and carpentry.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for DCCC, HPSI and the Consortium to capitalize on the Greater Philadelphia region’s strengths, in collaboration with our many partners in government, higher education, the skilled trades, and business and industry, to significantly increase the education and training the Consortium has successfully delivered for decades to business and industry,” said DCCC President Dr. Marta Yera Cronin, chair of the Consortium, a non-profit organization that dates back to 1994 with the closing of the Philadelphia Naval Base and Shipyard.

“HPSI is very excited to establish this partnership, which will accelerate the transfer of proven global shipbuilding practices to the U.S. and strengthen our workforce for the future,” said David Kim, CEO of HPSI. “We are committed to building U.S. ships in the U.S., with U.S. workers, and this investment gives us confidence in our ability to grow and meet national demand, while supporting our local communities.”

The DOL also awarded $5.8 million to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy to advance the next generation of American shipbuilders through hands-on, cutting-edge training programs developed in conjunction with international partners.

“Restoring Americaʼs maritime dominance canʼt be accomplished without skilled American workers,” said Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “In line with President Trumpʼs executive orders, these projects will help train our next generation of shipbuilders and ensure the skills critical to revitalizing our shipbuilding industry are developed here at home.”

The “Revitalizing Domestic Manufacturing by Developing the Next Generation of America’s Shipbuilders through International Partnerships” grant will help HPSI, DCCC, and the Consortium develop a national curriculum for U.S. career and technical education programs, community colleges, registered apprenticeship programs, and shipyards that creates standardized pathways for training future workers.

It is envisioned that DCCC, HPSI and the Consortium will utilize high-tech equipment, such as virtual reality simulator training modules as well as online instruction to augment in-person training. Locally, the Consortium will join with workforce development boards, the one-stop career centers of Pennsylvania CareerLink®, and area high schools to develop curriculum and recruit and train the next generation of shipbuilding workers. The Consortium also will partner with South Korea-based Hanwha, HPSI’s parent company, to send faculty and workers to visit its shipyard in South Korea to learn the latest techniques in shipbuilding.

Proper, safe, industry accredited training is vital to today’s manufacturers, many of which use technological advances such as robotics, automation, advanced welding, artificial intelligence and digital design. Registered apprentices in shipbuilding and advanced manufacturing can quickly earn $60,000–$70,000 annually, with little or no student loan debt, and clear pathways for advancement. But only about 37 percent of U.S. high school students enroll in Career and Technical Education programs, and fewer than eight percent complete a concentrated program of study in fields like manufacturing, engineering or transportation, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

HPSI, DCCC and the Consortium hope to expand annual apprenticeship capacity from 120 to up to 500 by 2027.

Over the past two decades, DCCC has delivered related technical instruction to more than 600 apprentices in high-demand fields in collaboration with skilled trades unions, the Consortium, and business and industry partners. Since 2017, DCCC has been federally recognized as a Maritime Center of Excellence, underscoring its local, statewide and national role in advancing maritime workforce development.

HPSI’s location at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in South Philadelphia, contiguous or near three states—Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware—with direct access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Delaware River and Bay, reinforces their importance in this new DOL grant-funded initiative, which DCCC, HPSI and the Consortium call “Building the Future: U.S. Shipbuilding Workforce Expansion Through Global Collaboration.”