Photo By Seaman Jared Gannuscio | Joe Barto, U.S. Navy Talent Pipeline Program (TPP) Manager, provides opening remarks...... read more read more
WASHINGTON — On June 27, hundreds of skilled workers, industry leaders, and government officials gathered at the National Press Club to recognize a new generation of American shipbuilders. The National Signing Day ceremony marked the end of the US Navy Talent Pipeline Program 's (TPP) most successful year to date.
The TPP provides the training and tools needed to create and sustain a talent pipeline that empowers employers to recruit, hire, train and retain a skilled workforce.
"These events aren't about numbers—they're about people," said Matthew Sermon, Direct Reporting Program Manager of the Maritime Industrial Base Program. "These men and women are the foundation of our national defense. With every submarine, surface ship, and unmanned vessel we build, sustain, modernize, and return to the fleet, their impact becomes clear."
The timing of this celebration carries special significance, as the Navy marks its 250th birthday while at the same time is in the midst of its most ambitious shipbuilding effort since the 1980s—requiring three submarines annually by 2028 and over 10 classes of surface ships. This effort is expected to create demand for approximately 250,000 new skilled workers over the next decade. With anniversary events culminating in Philadelphia this October—both the birthplace of the Navy and the location of the first Talent Pipeline Program site—this milestone reminds us that the workers we’re developing today aren’t just building ships; they’re laying the foundation for another 250 years of naval excellence.
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, who delivered the keynote address, praised the Talent Pipeline Program as a vital investment in national security.
"We need to celebrate the talent and make people realize how very important it is, because it is about making sure our U.S. Navy is the most capable and lethal Navy in the world," Kaine said. “The challenge I'm most concerned about is the one that the Talent Pipeline Program is designed to address, which is challenges in the workforce."
The senator emphasized the urgency of bolstering America's shipbuilding and ship repair capability, in light of China's rapid growth in maritime capability and capacity and the U.S.'s and its allies' efforts to secure the Indo-Pacific region.
"The nature of instability in the Indo-Pacific, the fast Chinese pace, our own safety, the commitments we've made to allies — all of this is really converging on, we've got to get this right. And while workforce isn't the only issue, there are some supply chain issues, I think workforce is about 75% of it; if we get that right, we're going to be fine on these [shipbuilding] programs."
The National Signing Day event capped a season of regional Signing Days held in Virginia, two locations in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, Southern California, and nationwide placements through the Enterprise Plus pipeline. Collectively, these events recognized more than 5,795 new hires who have joined the maritime industrial base over the past year.
Each region reflected a different strength of American industry: 1,782 new hires in Virginia; 1,005 in Philadelphia; 1,262 in Pittsburgh; 641 in New England; 195 in New York; and 514 in Southern California. Enterprise Plus—launched in 2024 to support companies with a national footprint—has added 396 new employees.
The TPP ensures suppliers have the tools they need to attract, hire and retain a better employee. The more suppliers can hone their hiring and onboarding, the more likely they are to employ and engage the right employees. This “hire for fit” model, combined with leadership training, results in longstanding employee/employer relationships -- instead of transactions. Suppliers learn to identify and successfully mine multiple talent pipelines, including intentional connections with Career and Technical Education programs and other training providers.
"The program's comprehensive approach has transformed how we successfully engage maritime talent across the country," said Erica Holloway Logan , Workforce Director for the MIB Program. "By focusing on small and medium-sized suppliers, we're strengthening the entire network that supports our naval capabilities."
That network represents the backbone of U.S. shipbuilding. Small and medium-sized businesses make up 95% of the submarine industrial base and face some of the most pressing workforce challenges. In addition to bolstering, and sometimes upending, suppliers’ talent acquisition process, the Talent Pipeline Program also helps address hiring challenges with no-cost coaching, tools, and workforce system support.
Employers across the country have shared the impact of the program firsthand. Jon Etter , President of B&G Manufacturing Co., Inc. Co., whose Philadelphia-based company has benefited from the program, said, "The Talent Pipeline Program has been instrumental in strengthening not only our workforce but also our nation's defense industrial base. This initiative allows us to train and develop talent that understands the importance of quality, precision, and reliability in manufacturing components that ultimately support the U.S. Navy's mission success."
William Sapp of Consolidated Precision Products Corp said the program's Realistic Job Preview tool "significantly enhanced candidate quality."
Chris Blench , CEO of Mavericks Manufacturing Partners , credited TPP with reshaping how his company approaches hiring. "There is a real sense of shared responsibility within our network—an understanding that revitalizing the U.S. industrial base isn't just a job or trend, it's a duty and we all have a role to play."
Since its launch in 2021, the Talent Pipeline Program has facilitated over 10,000 skilled worker placements and grown to 452 participating employers. The program plans to reach 600 employers by 2026 and add one new regional pipeline each year starting in 2026.
"The young men and women preparing to join this workforce are answering a national call," Sermon said. "Each of them plays a role in securing the American way of life, and their commitment to this mission will strengthen America's naval capabilities for decades to come."
The Talent Pipeline Program remains one of the Navy’s primary workforce initiatives, helping to ensure that the next century of American shipbuilding is powered by a strong, resilient, and ready industrial base.
| Date Taken: | 06.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.02.2025 13:56 |
| Story ID: | 547023 |
| Location: | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 12 |
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