Secretary of the Navy praises BIW workforce training in committee hearing

BATH — Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer praised the workforce development training taking place in Bath to prepare workers for careers at Bath Iron Works during an Armed Service Committee hearing last week.

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, asked Navy officials to explain what they were doing to ensure that there would be people willing and able to work in careers in the nation's shipyards, especially since many of those careers require special skills. While Spencer noted efforts were taking place across the county, he specified the work going on in Maine to make his point.

"It's happening throughout the whole shipbuilding industry. It's happening on both sides of the Mississippi, but I'm going to bring Maine up as an example," said Spencer.

Spencer drew upon two visits he's made to Bath Iron Works as secretary of the Navy. The first visit occurred in 2017, shortly after being confirmed as the secretary of the Navy, while the second occurred in February of this year. For Spencer, the difference between his first visit and his second was notable.

"The community colleges in the area there had no exposure or plans to have curriculum to support what the basic skill sets are, not the high schools. I was very encouraged on my last visit up a month ago to see that both the community and the high schools are adopting primary skill sets and advanced curriculum in this area," said Spencer. "I mean, across the board in the US I think we have to address this because at the end of the day, a level III welder and/or any other artisan in the shipbuilding/aviation assembling field, it's a very nice career to have."

The Southern Maine Community College offers both manufacturing technician and welding training to prepare students for work at Bath Iron Works. The courses, which take place at the college's campus at Brunswick Landing, give students the skills and knowledge needed to work at the shipyard or one of Bath Iron Works' other locations.

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