(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA)—Hanwha Group’s historic $5 billion investment in the Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc. (HPSI) means increased annual production volume and more job opportunities for skilled workers in the Philadelphia region. Now, through a unique partnership between Interboro High School, Delaware County Community College and HPSI, 15 high school seniors are on a one-semester pathway that will lead directly from high school to a paid shipbuilding apprenticeship at HPSI—setting them up for a well-paying, high-demand career.

The students are enrolled this semester in DCCC’s PACE+ Pre-Apprenticeships to Apprenticeships for Carpenters and Electricians Program. The special cohort was developed by DCCC, Interboro High School and HPSI as a feeder pipeline to HPSI’s full-time, paid Philly Shipyard Apprenticeship Program.

The program is entirely free for Interboro students. Students earn college credits, gain hands-on technical experience, and develop the foundational skills needed for success in the skilled trades and shipbuilding industries. The three-course, nine-credit pathway includes lectures and labs. Upon completing the DCCC program and graduating from high school, students will be ready to apply for HPSI’s apprenticeship program at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

“This partnership reflects exactly how secondary and post-secondary education and industry should work together,” said DCCC’s Dr. Karen Kozachyn, Vice President, Workforce & Economic Development. “PACE+ is about building talent locally and creating long-term economic opportunity.”

Not only are the students on a career pathway to a Pennsylvania High Priority Occupation (HPO), they are also enrolled in an academic program that leads to a PA-registered pre-apprenticeship credential, industry credential in OSHA, and CPR, as well to an associate degree should they wish to continue at DCCC.

The program was made possible through a grant from the PA Department of Labor and Industry and is a School-to-Work initiative for high school students.

“By connecting Interboro High School seniors to college-level training and a direct apprenticeship pathway at Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc., we’re strengthening the regional skilled trades workforce while helping students launch stable, well-paying careers,” Dr. Kozachyn said.