Fairbanks Morse Defense holds Talent Pipeline Program (TPP) event

FMD CEO George Whittier addresses Talent Pipeline Program (TPP) Signing Day event

Beloit, Wis.-based Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) recently hosted a regional Talent Pipeline Program (TPP) Signing Day event to celebrate new hires entering the U.S. defense industrial base workforce through the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base initiative.

The Talent Pipeline Program is a U.S. Navy initiative under the Maritime Industrial Base (MIB) program designed to address the critical shortage of skilled manufacturing workers needed to support and sustain the nation’s shipbuilding and defense industrial base. The program provides participating employers with workforce development tools, coaching and support to strengthen recruitment, hiring, onboarding and retention efforts tailored to regional industry needs.

Fairbanks Morse Defense became TPP’s first Enterprise Employer, and today, all FMD business units participate in the program, which provides industry-specific resources and tools to attract and retain a new generation of skilled workers. FMD says that participation in the program has strengthened its local and national workforce by helping to recruit and support talented, purpose-driven individuals to join FMD in delivering innovative, mission-critical solutions to the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and allied naval fleets.

FMD employs over 1,400 people across the United States and more than 400 in Wisconsin.

Since launching in 2021, the TPP has helped facilitate the hiring of nearly 20,000 workers nationwide and increased first-year maritime industrial base retention rates to 71%, according to NAVSEA. The TPP now includes more than 618 employers and 140 academic partners.