9 Students Graduate from Manchester Community College Workforce Accelerated Welding Program

22 August 2024

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9 Students Graduate from Manchester Community College
Workforce Accelerated Welding Program

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Manchester Community College graduated nine students from the Workforce Accelerated Welding Program, preparing them for high-wage, high-growth, high-demand careers in defense and beyond. The program is supported by the New England Submarine Shipbuilding Partnership, powered by SENEDIA, the alliance for Defense Tech, Talent, and Innovation.

As the first students to have completed this program at Manchester Community College, these trainees were introduced to the welding trade through a 12-week accelerated course that offered more than 402 hours of instruction–the majority of which is hands-on lab experience.

“More than 47,000 people across New Hampshire make a good living in the defense sector,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services and Appropriations Committees. “Congratulations to Manchester Community College and this graduating class on growing the state’s talent pipeline in defense and beyond and thank you to SENEDIA for building a partnership that invests in New Hampshire and our national security.”

The cost to students in the Workforce Accelerated Welding Program is fully offset by SENEDIA’s New England Submarine Shipbuilding Partnership.

“Our national strategy relies on the U.S. Navy submarine force and the highly skilled workforce necessary to build, equip, and ultimately operate the submarines. There is a critical workforce shortage with a significant demand for skilled workers, in New Hampshire and across New England,” said Molly Donohue Magee, SENEDIA chief executive officer. “Thanks to the hands-on skills building and experiential learning approach of Manchester Community College and our other training partners across the region, these graduates have what it takes to enter the workforce and be successful on day one.”

“After a decades-long decline in American manufacturing careers and capacity, the United States is backing its words with actions to reverse this trend and revitalize its manufacturing base. That’s why we are utilizing programs like this to reinvest in one of our nation’s most important strategic assets: its people and their skills. The global security challenges we currently face puts the defense industry, its people, and our manufacturing communities at the center of that needed growth,” said Rear Admiral Todd Weeks, Program Executive Officer, Strategic Submarines. “New England’s $119 billion defense ecosystem and the $12.5 billion in New Hampshire’s local economy alone highlights the need for robust, hands-on defense industry training programs. I can’t wait to see what the graduates of Manchester Community College accomplish, and I am proud to welcome them to our highly skilled submarine workforce.”

Training in the Workforce Accelerated Welding Program covers welding fundamentals, including the four major welding processes, MIG/TIG welding, blueprint reading, and math.

“MCC’s Workforce Development Center is excited that we had the opportunity to partner with SENEDIA, industry employers like Granite State Manufacturing, and dedicated students in the first accelerated welding program,” said MCC Workforce Development Center Director Kristine Dudley. “Bringing together opportunity, highly skilled welding instructors, hardworking students and employers who are looking to hire is a recipe for success. We are excited to continue this effort with future accelerated welding classes as soon as this fall.”

Sarah Groleau is an instructor in the program.

“These past twelve weeks have been the experience of a lifetime,” she said. “My team and I are teaching the next generation of welders in the trade we are so proud to be a part of and love. It’s been rewarding to see students working hard at their goals. We appreciate the investment in our workforce and in the future of our country. Their foresight is what’s needed in this industry.  We are looking forward to working with the next group of students and teaching them skills that can unlock unlimited opportunities.”

At the end of the program, students are introduced to employers in the submarine shipbuilding supply chain across New England, including Granite State Manufacturing, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and Westinghouse Electric Company. Two students have already accepted job offers, and the remaining seven are interviewing or exploring additional educational opportunities. Graduates can transfer credits earned into MCC’s Welding Technologies Associate Degree Program.

“I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to learn a new trade that I hope to pursue,” said graduate Natalie Ayala. “Within the 12-week welding program I’ve learned a lot of valuable information; it was very well done by the three teachers who taught us. I would recommend this program to anyone that has a good work ethic and is looking for a start to their career in welding. I feel very prepared and confident about stepping into the field and couldn’t have done it without this program.”

“This program has been a huge opportunity for me. Professional education felt out of reach until I learned about this accelerated program,” said fellow graduate Sam Pica. “Before I started, I had no idea how to weld and now I’m looking at a career that I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

The next cohort of the MCC Workforce Accelerated Welding Program is slated to begin in September. Through the Partnership, SENEDIA supports similar programming at nearby Nashua Community College, where the Precision Manufacturing Boot Camp offers a no-cost, 10-week training program with guaranteed interviews with local industry partners.

To learn more about SENEDIA and its submarine shipbuilding workforce development programming, visit Submarine.SENEDIA.org.

SENEDIA, the alliance for defense tech, talent, and innovation, is a catalyst for thought leadership, technical innovation, and workforce development. SENEDIA connects, convenes, and partners across the industry to support talent, innovation, and growth. For more information on SENEDIA, please visit www.SENEDIA.org.