GD Bath Iron Works to get $34 million in workforce initiative funding

Image: GD BIW

U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R. Me), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Defense Subcommittee, yesterday announced that the U.S. Navy has approved more than $34 million for six new workforce initiatives at shipbuilder GD Bath Iron Works (BIW).

The funding for the projects was included in the Fiscal Year 2023 Defense Appropriations bill at Senator Collins’ request as part of a larger initiative to make improvements to the infrastructure of the U.S. shipyards that build destroyers

“The crews of the Bath-built DDG-51 destroyers defending commercial shipping in the Red Sea today serve as vivid reminders of how important it is that the United States maintain a robust shipbuilding capability to support the U.S. Navy,” Senator Collins said. “These workforce investments are aimed at strengthening the backbone of BIW, which is the thousands of dedicated workers who build the world’s most capable combat surface ships.”

The funding will support the following six Bath Iron Works workforce projects:

• Increasing the number of workers trained at BIW apprentice academies;
• Providing new workers on-the-job training at the shipyard to reduce the training timeline from five years to three years;
• Funding for 85 new housing units for BIW workers closer to the shipyard;
• 150 additional year-round childcare slots for BIW workers;
• Free bus services for BIW employees in the Bath and Brunswick areas; and
• Other retention improvement activities.