Leaders across the Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, Submarine Industrial Base (SIB), and defense manufacturing gathered in Danville, VA, for a workforce forum and ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking a new chapter for the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program.
Held at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), the forum featured Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) and the Navy Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) as key efforts in mobilizing the future workforce and creating operational efficiencies in defense manufacturing.
The centerpiece of the day was the ribbon-cutting for IALR,Äôs new ATDM Maritime Training Center, a 100,000-sq.-ft. facility designed to help ATDM scale its accelerated workforce training model. The new facility supports the program,Äôs goal of graduating more than 1,000 workers annually for the submarine industrial base with nine laboratory learning spaces and seven classrooms equipped with industry-grade tools across ATDM,Äôs five programmatic areas: additive manufacturing, CNC machining, nondestructive testing, quality control inspection (metrology), and welding.
The forum drew more than 300 attendees, including Vice Admiral Robert M. Gaucher, Director of Submarine Programs, who addressed how the industry will need to continue to evolve as new innovations in advanced manufacturing are developed. The event also featured the AM CoE, located within the IALR CMA, as a key partner effort in mobilizing the future workforce and creating operational efficiencies in defense manufacturing.
A panel of defense manufacturing leaders shared their experiences partnering with ATDM for workforce training, as the program seeks to expand its employer network to more than 300 defense manufacturing companies nationwide.
Since welcoming its first class in June 2021, ATDM has graduated more than 1,400 workers for the defense industrial base, with 80% securing employment within two months.
For more information contact:
ATDM
150 Slayton Ave.
Cyber Park
Danville, VA 24540
434-766-6680
recruitment@atdm.org
www.atdm.org
IALR
434-766-6700
info@ialr.org
www.ialr.org