Class is in session for the first cohort of 24 students at Macomb Community College’s new maritime manufacturing program. Donning their shop coats, they clock into the college’s mock shop floor and follow their setup protocols for the day.
Midway through the 17-week, 600-hour course, today’s agenda has them spending 80% of their class time on a CNC or welding machine under the supervision of an expert instructor. Their tuition and supply costs for the program? Zero.
“In removing that barrier for entry, this allows students to come in from a different variety of backgrounds,” said Patrick Rouse, Director of Engineering and Advanced technology, Workforce and Continuing Education at Macomb Community College. “We have barbers here. We have cooks here. We have folks from healthcare. You name it.”
The program is made possible by the Navy Michigan Maritime Manufacturing (M3) initiative, which has invested $15.4 million in the college as part of its more than $50 million investment in Michigan. The next two years will focus on increasing the capacity to train a skilled labor pool in skilled maritime manufacturing. Macomb Community College’s 41,000- square-foot Michigan Technical Education Center (M-TEC) was identified by the Navy as a prime location to address this need, given the manufacturing technology expertise and defense contractors in the area. More than 1,000 aerospace and defense companies call Macomb County home.
This new center creates a hub dedicated to fast-track CNC and welding training, which aims to tackle one of the industry’s biggest challenges—workforce shortages. According to a joint study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, 3.8 million jobs will be needed in manufacturing within the next decade. The defense industry is not insulated from this shortage.
“When the Navy moved to their production goal of three submarines instead of the current pace of 1.2 per year, they realized they needed to strengthen and expand their supply chain which was down from 30,000 suppliers at its peak to about 16,000 throughout the U.S. To meet support that supply chain, they also evaluated the labor shortages,” Rouse said.
“The Navy is short 100,000 workers in five disciplines: CNC machining, welding, nondestructive testing, quality and additive manufacturing.”
The Navy has been funding the activities of the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) National Training Center in Danville, Virginia. Americans from throughout the county travel to train and stay in residence for a 17-week program. However, to address the 100,000-worker shortage, the Navy needed an additional regional solution. Macomb Community College was selected as the first in a series of planned hubs across the U.S. to train workers where they live.
“We aren’t looking for a person with a specific skill set. They just need to be motivated and able to persevere in an accelerated training format, relying on us to support them all the way through,” Rouse said.
The college’s transition to support this programming didn’t happen overnight. It required the school to move quickly, revamping M-TEC with new ventilation and equipment in just three months. The facility now features 24 CNC machines, 12 lathes, 12 mills, and 24 welding booths with 36 welders, rivaling the production capabilities of mid-sized manufacturers. The availability of equipment translates to a 1:1 ratio of workstations per student.
For many of these students, training and graduation mark only the beginning of their manufacturing careers. Upon graduation, Macomb Community College aims to place students in quality-wage jobs, earning an average of more than $60,000 per year. The opportunity to develop lifelong skills for a new career has inspired many to explore manufacturing for the first time.
Mother and son ODeasia Williams and DVantrae Mannie signed up for the welding class together with plans to join the maritime manufacturing workforce.
“For years I did cookie-cutter administrative work, spending time at a law firm and such. But I like to be challenged. When I found out about this program, I passed it on to my kids,” Williams said.
Mannie took up the challenge, leaving behind a career in forklift and Hi-Lo operation.
“This is more important, and I wanted to do something that was good for my country. Plus, you can’t beat free schooling,” Mannie said.
The duo is currently learning flux and stick welding.
“I like stick welding, which is what we started with,” Williams said. “But my favorite part is vertical welding.”
“I like making T-joints, fillet welds and passes. Initially, it was challenging. Everything is new, and I want to be a perfectionist,” Mannie said.
The two have different plans after graduation.
“I’m geared straight toward what the admiral had to say. I’m committed to the Navy. Wherever they send me to help bring up our quota of submarines, I’m there,” Williams said.
By the time they finish the program, their completion certificate will translate toward earning higher certifications from American Welding Society, while students in the CNC program will earn certificates with the National Institute for Metalworking Skills, and Amatrol.
“I want to go back and be a student-instructor and help the next group of students take on the challenges we had in this class.” Mannie said. "That way, I’ll know the strain and frustration and can help them.”
For more information on the program, visit www.macomb.edu/m3.
“We are happy to be able to respond to this need and meet this challenge. We are not training people to leave the state; we are training them to meet the demand here,” Rouse said.
