ATDM Program Delivers Skilled Workers to the Maritime Industrial Base

The U.S. Navy needs to dramatically increase the fleet, especially submarines, but the available pool of skilled workers is not keeping pace.
Submarine construction is ramping up.  The Navy continues to build Virginia-class submarines, striving for two per year, and is gearing up build the new Columbia-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.  At the same time, the industry needs to support the ambitious Australia-U.S.-U.K. AUKUS program to make the Royal Australian Navy a nuclear submarine navy.

Qualified workers are not only needed to build submarines, but all types of ships for the Navy.  Government and commercial shipyards involving naval ship construction and repair have a variety of apprentice programs, internships and partnerships with trade and vocational schools to develop potential employees.  Shipbuilding is not alone in the manufacturing sector in regards to a heavy demand signal for skilled workers in a declining pool of qualified candidates.  

The Navy has invested in “Build Submarines,” a website that provides career information and job opportunities to find and recruit qualified people, and offer job skill training programs.

While the impetus has been the submarine industrial base (SIB), the Navy widened the aperture and established the Maritime Industrial Base (MIB) program office because a lot of what the service was doing for the SIB was also beneficial to the surface domain, and in fact, many aspects of defense manufacturing.

A shining success story is the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program. ATDM was established under the direction of the Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base Program to train the future workforce and operationalize an innovation hub for advanced manufacturing, and is run by the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, Va.

Danville was once a thriving mill town and the primary tobacco market of Virginia; it is located in the Southern Virginia region, also once known for producing furniture.  As these industries declined, the community leaders decided to make the area a hub for tech industries and training.  The plan is working, as companies are coming to Danville because of the availability of people who are coming through the myriad of tech and manufacturing training programs available in the area.  This attracted the Navy to work with IALR to create the ATDM program.

ATDM offers an intensive 16-week course in five different tracks – welding; computer numerical control (CNC) machining; additive manufacturing; non-destructive testing; and quality control inspection (metrology).  These are the skills that are in extremely high demand by shipyards and their partners and suppliers.  The need for workers with these skills is not confined to the Navy and defense industry, but mirror the acute need for people with this knowledge and ability throughout manufacturing today.

“We are a workforce training program funded by the U.S. Navy to reduce time to talent for the maritime industrial base--specifically the trades,” said Jason Wells, executive vice president of manufacturing advancement for IALR.  “We’re focused on the maritime industry manufacturers that work in subs, aircraft carriers and the entire spectrum of naval architecture and design, repair and shipbuilding.

The ATDM program is designed to efficiently train qualified candidates in essential manufacturing skills and trades to establish a steady and sustainable flow of qualified workers for the naval shipbuilding and repair sector of the maritime industrial base. These workers graduate with more than an industry-recognized credential; they leave with experience specific to the maritime industrial base, minimizing training time once they get to the job floor.

According to ATDM’s promotional material aimed at employers, “We can take new hires, regardless of experience, and train them to SIB certification status in less time, for less money than anyone else — most students qualify for full scholarships for tuition and housing.   We can do this in months, not years.”

"ATDM is contributing to a national movement that is making America stronger, safer, and more secure.  The work you’re doing matters to our military, our economy, and the future of this country.”
Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby  
Image courtesy ATDM

Training Around the Clock

According to Wells, the on-site training program is conducted at an accelerated rate. “A student that comes to our program lives in Danville for four months. They complete 600 hours of training over the 16 weeks, which is equivalent to one year in an accredited career studies certificate program. So, it's a very intensive, hands-on training experience.”

Wells said the rigorous courses are not for everybody.  “We tend to be a really good fit for mature learners who have been in the workforce for a while and want to up-skill themselves, or who are looking for a new career. Transitioning military who want to continue serving their country in their new veteran role have also done well in ATDM.”

To qualify, a candidate must pass background and drug screenings and achieve a qualifying score on the Testlify Assessment, a tool used to evaluate applicant readiness and ensure they have the skills needed to succeed in our fast-paced, hands-on training programs.
“Our goal is to ensure that each student is positioned to thrive in a classroom that mirrors real workforce demands,” said Joyce Cully, ATDM’s 

Assistant Director for Recruitment and Admissions. “Part of our success lies in our ability to identify the students best suited to this type of program and skill them up quickly so they’re ready for employment.”

According to Cheryl Terry, the senior director of program support services, there are several different pathways for students.  A company can send an employee to learn a new skill and earn the necessary certifications; a candidate can agree to work for an employer as soon as the training is complete; or a candidate can attend the course and meet prospective employers at the job fairs held during the 16-week program.
“We have our students with us, eight hours a day, five days a week. A traditional welding program will take two years, with a variety of coursework.  We’re focused.  For example, in our welding program, you’re going to spend the vast majority of the time in a welding booth, on your own machine, learning how to weld,” said Terry.

Each class has 12 students. For every 12 students, there's one instructor and one technician.  Because welding and CNC machining are in high demand, these courses are conducted in three shifts.  
“We're training around the clock,” Terry said.

To ensure the training matches what employers require, Terry said ATDM stays tapped into the industry, and is responsive to industry needs. ATDM has a good understanding of the shipbuilding enterprise, including large trade organizations like the Marine Machinery Association (MMA) and the Submarine Industrial Base Coalition.

“We have the advantage of being flexible,” she said.  “For example, the welding program has been modified to teach fabrication in confined spaces like one would encounter on a ship, where they have to weld out of position.”

Terry said the students arrive motivated to learn. A small percentage of the students already have jobs, and those tend to be some of the better students.  Although the students are responsible for travel expenses to and from Danville, the tuition and housing (for non-local students) are paid for by the Navy.  “Everyone is on scholarship here.”

Image courtesy Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program

Creating a Culture

The program has a code of conduct, and there are attendance and academic performance expectations.  “We want them to view this as an important job and an investment by the nation. We’re creating a culture where both our staff and our students realize the importance of the work that we do, because it's important work for the defense of our country,” said Terry.  

“During orientation, we tell them it's going to be hard, but to view it as a short-term sacrifice. You buckle down, you work hard for four months, and there's going to be a great reward at the end,” she said.

There is a required industry engagement course, and participation in the job fairs is required unless a student has already received an employment commitment.

According to Terry, the industry engagement class is as important as any of the welding, machining or metrology classes that those students will take.  “It teaches them how to apply for jobs, making sure they're looking for a job early on, how to dress, how to talk, and when to toot their own horn.”

The career services team helps students create resumes and conducts mock job interviews.

As these students take up their jobs, they help build and maintain the ATDM brand.  “If companies need to hire additional people, and they’ve got an ATDM graduate who they’re pleased with, they’ll come back to us.  That reputation we have to maintain.”

There are jobs available in all 50 states, but the bulk of the jobs are in or around the major shipyards.  A number of companies participate in the job fairs, but students are not limited to those companies.  If a student is reluctant to accept an offer, it’s usually because they don’t want to relocate.  When they compete for the scholarship, they know going in that the jobs may not be in their hometown.  

“There's an expectation that they will work somewhere in the submarine or defense industrial base for a year. We're hoping that they're going to get their foot in the door and stay there and move up,” Terry said.

While the “Build Submarines” advertising and outreach is effective, Joyce Culley, ATDM’s assistant director for Recruitment and Admissions said the program also actively seeks out candidates.  

“We have a veteran recruiter that spends a lot of time on the road visiting military bases and attending programs sponsored by the military to get veterans here to the program. We also have other recruiters that go to college fairs and career and technical education outreach events to talk to people about our program face-to-face,” Culley said.

“When they're not on the road, our recruiters reach out by making phone calls,” she said.  “We also have work-study students contact leads and prospects to share information with them about the program.  They come in after shift and work several hours making calls for us.”
Culley said that there have been students from 46 different states, and they have had job opportunities from employers across the nation.  But, she said, students need to be open to relocating to where there are vacancies with companies participating in the MIB.

Demand for the five different tracks varies.  The AM course is offered three times a year.  But in welding and CNC, there are new cohorts starting regularly, and the training is being conducted in three shifts.  Additive manufacturing and metrology will expand to two shifts this fall.

The curriculum is constantly being updated, Culley said.  “What we teach in the first AM course of the year will be different than the third, because the technology is changing.  When students show up, they’re can be assured they’re getting the latest and greatest.”

Culley said the acceptance rate is high because most of the candidates have work experience and understand the ATDM value proposition.

“We normally accept about 90% of our applicants. We are constantly revisiting our admissions process to ensure we're getting the ideal student.  About 30% of our students are veterans. They’re usually open to moving to a new job.  Many of them have roots in areas near military bases, and there are usually defense industry jobs near those bases.  We have online information sessions, so after they complete the application and the Wonderlic assessment, we go over requirements for the program,” said Terry.  “We cover the five program areas to make sure candidates choose the right program, and we talk about the Danville area, what to expect when you get here to Danville, what you need and don't need to bring with you. After the information session, and they've heard everything about ATDM, we schedule a virtual interview, and give the candidate the opportunity to tell us why they're best suited for our program.”
Students do receive certifications which are recognized everywhere, although achieving certifications requires initiative on the part of the student. 

“These are good jobs with room for advancement and growth,” Culley said, “But the students are gaining entry-level skills, and should expect entry-level salaries at the beginning.”  

Image courtesy Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program

Reduce Time to Talent

ATDM’s Director of Cross-Functional Initiatives Karen Hardy reviews feedback to improve the curriculum.
“We reach out to students and employers to evaluate success at the 60-day mark and at one year,” Hardy said.   “The program's only been in existence since June of 2021, so we're now just starting to get the data we need to make some definitive conclusions.  Our objective is to reduce time to talent.”

As industry sees the success, the participation is growing.  Hardy said her team has a good understanding of the shipbuilding enterprise, including large trade organizations like the Marine Machinery Association (MMA) and the Submarine Industrial Base Council.

“We try to conduct at least five career fairs a year for our students, and we typically have 25 to 35 companies that participate in them, plus more than 180 companies that are otherwise engaged with our program. In addition, we have been in communication with up to at least 450 to 500 companies at this point,” she said.

Companies also have the option to come to Danville in person to interview or present to students, even outside of the career fair days.  

Balancing Hard and Soft Skills

“I've toured training providers around the nation, and they have great programs, but the one thing that Danville gets right is understanding the value of balancing soft skills with hard skills; understanding how to wrap around disciplines and understanding the dynamic that happens inside manufacturing. Because teaching skills is one thing,” IALR’s Wells said.  “You can teach skills, but character is a whole other thing, and they do a really excellent job in the community of developing character.”

Wells said ATDM is a five-year pilot program.  “Currently, we’re in a prototype phase.   Our goal is to reach full operational capacity and produce 800 to 1,000 students a year.  And there is a very high likelihood you will see another ATDM on the West Coast, or elsewhere in the U.S.”

ATDM programs offer a variety of industry-recognized credentials.  But Wells said the extent that students earn those certifications is based on student initiative.

ATDM has an Advisory Council made up of industry members that drive a lot of the program’s behaviors  

“We continue to modify the curriculum and grow it to be more and more impactful, but we do very much try to stay away from being monopolized by one particular end,” Wells said.  
It would, however, be possible to create a cohort for a single customer that focuses on their systems and procedures, Wells said.

“We have one particular industry partner that agreed to fill an entire cohort of 12 students,” said Wells.  “We will be doing a modified welding program just for their needs.”

Wells said companies often have to contend with the availability of trained workers at traditional graduation times at the end of the academic year. 

But ATDM is graduating students every eight weeks. “If an employer needs a couple of welders or machinists right now, we have a graduation coming up with qualified people ready to hire.”

We get transitioning military people who need a skill for the next stage of their lives.  Some students are “conditional hires,” where an employer identifies someone to work for their company, and sends them to ATDM to acquire basic skills.  Others who already have jobs and are doing well, but their employer needs people in skilled trades, and they send them to ATDM to “upskill.”

Wells said the program can be life-changing.  “Our students can go from a fast-food job to making $50,000 to $70,000 a year with job security after completing our 16-week program.”

Motivated Students

Jarrod Hankins is the instructor for ATDM’s Quality Control Inspection (Metrology) course.  He’s a graduate of the program, and later was offered a job to teach the course.

“I tell each one of my students that, number one, I'm here to try to get people into the workforce,” he said.

“I've got students from 18-year-olds who are right out of high school to 72-year-olds who want to learn something new.  All of them want to be here,” Hankins said.  “Some students may have had a hard time connecting with the right job opportunity in the past, but the companies know what we teach, and they come here because they need people with these skills.  I see my students at the job fair handing out their resumes to 30-plus companies that are eager and ready to hire.”

Hankins said companies come to the ATDM job fairs because they know that the students are motivated and qualified.  “They’re here because they want to be; already had a background check; have a known set of skills, and maybe some certifications; and are available to work.  That saves them a lot of trouble and expense from advertising and just going to job fairs where you have no idea who's walking up to you.”

“We're teaching a skilled trade,” said Hankins.  “But we also teach honesty and integrity. The work our graduates will be doing may involve a multi-million-dollar component that has several people's lives at stake.  That’s why I try to instill the importance of what they're doing into all of my students.”

One of Hankins’ students is Ryan Jannuzzi.  He comes from a Navy family.  His father was a sonar technician on a Navy destroyer, and his brother is currently flying F/A-18 Super Hornets. He saw ATDM as a way to serve.

What got Jannuzzi interested in ATDM was the “Build Submarines” NASCAR sponsorship of Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford.  “I was looking for a career change, and I liked the idea of a job with a higher purpose,” said the Pittstown, N.J. native.

“You get all the hands-on training and experience you could ask for,” said Jannuzzi.  “It’s just a phenomenal program, and it’s free.”  

Jannuzzi has accepted a job at a manufacturing company in Pennsylvania involved in energy, oil and gas, as well as in aerospace.  “I’ll be working as a calibration and quality specialist role for them,” he said.  “I found the job online through Build Submarines.”

Jannuzzi knows that his job will be important, ensuring that very exact standards are met.  “Submarines have the highest standards of all.”

A National Movement

ATDM holds an annual summit to bring the Navy and industry together to ensure the education and training process is meeting expectations.  The most recent summit was held in March.  Employers can provide feedback on the curriculum to ensure the training addresses the latest skills and certifications needed by their companies.

Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby attended the ATDM Annual Summit in Danville, in April, and delivered the keynote address.  He underscored the importance of ATDM to the Navy.

“I can assure you that ATDM is contributing to a national movement that is making America stronger, safer, and more secure,” Kilby told the attendees. “The work you’re doing matters to our military, our economy, and the future of this country.”