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Unveiling Tomorrow: New Training Hub Launches to Shape Future Defense Innovators

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Forging the Future: Training Center Opens to Train Next Generation of Defense Manufacturers

The Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program has steadily gained momentum since its inception in 2021, graduating over 777 students from multiple regions, including Guam, Puerto Rico, and Australia. Approximately a quarter of these students are veterans. Impressively, the program boasts a 90% job placement rate within the defense industrial sector. It operates on an eight-week cycle, fast-tracking participants into promising careers across five vital trades.

In a significant development, the new National Training Center opened at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) campus on January 13. This state-of-the-art, 100,000-square-foot facility began its operation by welcoming its first cohort of students. With an annual capacity to train 1,000 students, this expansion is crucial for developing the skilled workforce necessary to support submarine and warship construction and maintenance.

“This facility helps address our immediate workforce needs,” emphasized Frederick “Jay” Stefany, Direct Reporting Program Manager for the Maritime Industrial Base (MIB) Program. “It advances our efforts to restore our industrial base and ensure our industry partners have the skilled workforce they need to build and maintain the Navy’s fleet.”

Graduates from ATDM are instrumental in meeting the maritime industry’s growing demand for skilled workers. The Navy’s ambitious shipbuilding plans include constructing Columbia-class and Virginia-class submarines alongside over ten classes of surface ships, such as aircraft carriers and destroyers. This massive undertaking necessitates a robust strategy to revitalize America’s manufacturing prowess, positioning the National Training Center as a pivotal step in this process.

The MIB Program spearheads the Navy’s workforce development initiatives, focusing on expanding shipbuilding and repair capabilities through industrial base development, supply chain resilience, and cutting-edge manufacturing technologies. With the U.S. manufacturing sector reduced to one-third of its former size in three decades, the program faces the formidable task of recruiting and training 140,000 workers for submarine production and an additional 110,000 workers for surface vessel tasks over the next ten years.

“The decline in American manufacturing has created a critical skills gap,” stated Erica Logan, Workforce Director for the MIB Program. “But we’re not just filling jobs—we’re rebuilding America’s maritime manufacturing capability and offering meaningful careers for the next generation of workers. Every graduate represents another step toward restoring our nation’s industrial strength.”

Situated on the IALR campus, the National Training Center also hosts the Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence, fostering a hub of innovation for maritime manufacturing.

Natasha Barnes, among the first group to undergo training at this new facility, embodies the rising cadre of skilled workers entering the defense sector. “ATDM has done an excellent job adapting during the transition into the new facility,” remarked Barnes, a CNC machining student. “It’s been an uplifting experience to learn in such a clean and well-maintained environment. I am very excited to see what the future holds for the program.”

Telly Tucker, president of the IALR, noted the broader impact of the facility. “This facility is about more than training—it’s about revitalizing southern Virginia,” he said. “It’s creating jobs, fostering economic growth, and building a pipeline of skilled workers who will strengthen our nation’s security.”

ATDM delivers a comprehensive 16-week training regime, offering 600 hours of hands-on experience in trades critical to maritime manufacturing: welding, CNC machining, additive manufacturing, quality assurance, and non-destructive testing. Training mimics the 24/7 demands of the defense industry, preparing graduates for immediate deployment. “This program isn’t theoretical—it’s practical,” explained Christa Reed, ATDM’s Interim Vice-President. “When our students graduate, they’re not just trained—they’re ready to hit the ground running.”

The inauguration of the National Training Center marks a major milestone in the Navy’s strategic efforts to bolster its workforce capabilities and strengthen the maritime industrial base. “Every ship we build, every submarine we launch, is a promise to the American people,” Stefany stated. “That promise begins here, with the people we train.”

As the Navy accelerates its fleet expansion, initiatives like ATDM and the new National Training Center are poised to have widespread effects—empowering individuals, invigorating communities, and reinforcing America’s maritime supremacy.

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