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<p class=”text-body text-muted small”>The current US shipbuilding workforce will not meet future US Navy needs. (Janes/Michael Fabey)</p>
<p>The US needs to significantly augment its shipbuilding workforce to meet the country’s construction and maintenance demands, US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro noted on 14 December during a keynote speech at the 3rd Naval Nuclear Submarine and Aircraft Carrier Suppliers Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.</p>
<p>“We’re going to need 150,000 new qualified workers in the next 10 years – pre-apprenticeship, registered apprenticeship, and labour management programmes are critical tools to help fulfill this labour demand,” said Del Toro.</p>
<p>“We must establish programmes that build capacity in fields like naval architecture, engineering, and life-cycle management, as well as technical expertise in nuclear welding, robotics, software management, and additive manufacturing,” he said.</p>
<p>“As we’re developing these skillsets throughout our shipbuilding workforce, we must continue to leverage our nation’s advantage in technology and innovation in the maritime domain,” he added.</p>
<p>However, he noted, “Agility in ship production and design requires developing new, digital tools for our workforce to improve efficiency and capacity.”</p>
<p>He cited the creation of the Government Shipbuilder Council as a key part of the overall effort. The council had its first meeting about a month ago, he noted. The council includes four US cabinet departments – Defense, Transportation, Homeland Security, and Commerce – and five shipbuilding organisations to identify “what actions we need to take to build the strength and readiness of our respective fleets”, he said.</p>