Southern Maine Community College will partner with General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) to deliver technical training to up to 90 trainees, providing BIW the skilled workers it needs to help fill hundreds of critical jobs.
The new training, a partnership between SMCC, the Maine Community College System Maine Quality Centers program, and BIW, will provide training for up to 60 manufacturing technicians and up to 30 welders. Participants who successfully complete the training will then be interviewed for positions at BIW. Those who are hired will receive additional, job-specific training in the shipyard’s Trades Learning Center.
Bath Iron Works, a business unit of General Dynamics, is among the largest private employers in Maine with about 5,700 employees. With many of its most experienced workers nearing retirement, BIW needs more employees who are trained in specific skills in demand at the shipyard. The company’s training partnerships with SMCC and other Maine community colleges have played a vital role in addressing its workforce needs.
“Our training partnership with BIW helps the company address its ongoing need for skilled workers and helps prepare more Maine people for high-paying careers,” said MCCS President Derek Langhauser. “This is an excellent example of the kinds of workforce training that Maine’s community colleges are providing across the state to help businesses build a skilled workforce and a stronger Maine economy.”
The training is scheduled to begin in January and take place at SMCC’s Midcoast Campus in Brunswick. The training includes:
- Welding. SMCC will offer a 120-hour class covering welding fundamentals and safety to three groups of up to 10 trainees per group.
- Manufacturing Technician. SMCC will offer a 120-hour technology training program to three groups of 15 to 20 trainees in each group. The training serves as an introduction to shipfitting, pipefitting and general laborer trades and covers topics from blueprint reading and power tool operation to tool safety and math.
SMCC’s Workforce Development Department will oversee the training. Last year, the college provided customized skills training to more than 1,350 Maine workers.
The Maine Quality Centers is part of the Maine Community College System and provides customized workforce training grants to Maine employers, with training delivered through its seven community colleges at locations and workplaces across the state.
Individuals interested in learning more about the new training program can contact SMCC’s Workforce Development Department at 741-5951 or workforceregistration@smccme.edu.