U.S. Navy and Department of Defense partner with the Pennsylvania Talent Pipeline Project and Project MFG Welding to host over 300 students interested in Maritime Careers
Philadelphia, PA - October 12, 2022: On Wednesday, October 12th, the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense partnered with the Pennsylvania Talent Pipeline Project and Project MFG to host the second annual maritime career exploration day and welding competition at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. This collaborative effort, which drew more than 300 students from the region, was organized to raise awareness about well-paying careers in maritime manufacturing, such as welding, machining, and logistics, and to provide over 19 employers the opportunity to engage with and begin recruiting such students.
With the focus on engaging a larger pool of potential workers from the Greater Philadelphia region and building careers in the high-demand sector of maritime manufacturing, the event’s sponsors invited 19 employers to have information tables. They featured three scheduled tours of facilities at Rhoads Manufacturing, Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc., and Philly Ship Repair, three prominent U.S. navy suppliers located at the Navy Yard. The event offered Philadelphia area students the opportunity to gain real-world experience and exposure to leaders and employers in the defense manufacturing space.
“Events like today, with partners like we have here in the Philadelphia region, are absolutely critical to our ability to build and sustain ships, submarines, and systems. Getting next-generation workforce members interested, excited, exposed to, and motivated by our defense mission is at the top of the priority list. These young men and women are part of a New Collar Workforce, where they have the ability to secure quality, family-sustaining careers and be a differentiator in our ability to innovate, implement, and execute faster and to greater effect than our adversaries,” said Admiral Scott Pappano, Program Executive Office, Strategic Submarines (PEO SSBN).
Project MFG’s Welding Competition featured nine technical training programs with 32 local competitors. Competitors are tested on skills required for shipbuilding while competing in a working Naval shipyard. “Project MFG helps elevate the next generation of highly skilled trade professionals, said Bill Ross of Project MFG; today, competitors are gaining real-world experience while putting their skills to the test in today’s competition.”
The programs that participated in the maritime-focused welding competition included Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Welder Training and Testing Institute, Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, York County School of Technology, Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School, Jules E. Mastbaum High School, Benjamin Franklin High School, Randolph High School, and Edison High School. Two waves of participants raced against a 2-hour clock and were cheered on by Navy, DoD, and defense industry partners. After showcasing their skills, the top three welders from each division were announced. For the High School division, in third place, James Nguyen from Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, second place Ian Blevins from York County School of Technology, and coming in the first place is Tyler Fenstermaker from Lehigh Career and Technical Institute. The top three welders for the technical college and programs division were; in third place Anthony Laterza from Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, in second place Matthew Mykut from Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, and in 1st place, Alex Choone from Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.
