US Department of Defense Invests in Future of Shipbuilding with Junior Achievement Contract

In what is described as a significant boost to the maritime industry and workforce development, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) and Adele Ratcliff, the US Department of Defense’s Director of Director of Innovation Capability and Modernization (ICAM), have announced a $12.5 million contract with Junior Achievement USA – with Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, based in Hartford, leading the way.

The funding will support a new shipbuilding career-inspiration program designed to attract the next generation of talent to the field.  The program, known as JA Maritime, will be implemented in Connecticut by Junior Achievement of Southwest New England and in Rhode Island by Junior Achievement of Rhode Island, based in Providence.

The new initiative is the first of its kind to deliver a standardized, industry-based curriculum and submarine industry career inspiration experiences to students across multiple school districts. It aims to address the critical workforce challenges facing the shipbuilding industry, which is essential to both national security and economic prosperity.

“Congress’ aggressive push to recapitalize the Navy’s submarine fleet requires massive growth at Electric Boat shipyard in New England and critical suppliers nationwide.  Central to meeting that demand signal is keeping up the strong hiring pace we are seeing at Electric Boat with 5,300 hires last year and over 3,000 so far this year,” Congressman Courtney explained.

“This new federal award will help meet that decade’s long effort by inspiring and educating young students on the great careers and opportunities available in the shipbuilding sector. Kudos to the excellent team at Junior Achievement of Southwest New England for their work to secure this grant,” Courtney added.

Over the course of the five-year contract, JA Maritime will introduce more than 60,000 students to the world of shipbuilding and submarine manufacturing. The program will focus on developing a long-term talent pipeline, driving diversity and inclusion in the industry, and partnering with industry leaders to meet their workforce needs.

“This partnership is a clear demonstration of Junior Achievement’s commitment to being a true solution provider to both the education and business community,” said Jeremy Race, Junior Achievement of Southwest New England’s President & CEO. “We are honored to partner with Federal Government on such a meaningful and impactful program that will benefit the Nation for generations to come.”

To celebrate the launch of the new program, a special event was held at BNL Industries in Vernon earlier this month.