General Dynamics Electric Boat, the North Kingstown-based maker and servicer of submarines for the U.S. Navy, is in the midst of a major ramp-up in employment, one that will eventually boost the workforce at its Quonset Business Park facility to 6,000, or nearly double where it is at right now.
Only problem is, EB cannot seem to find enough workers to fill the available slots. What to do?
One of Gov. Gina M. Raimondo's signature programs – Real Jobs Rhode Island – was designed to alleviate problems such as this one. It helps connect employers with very specific needs – in the case of EB it's production workers and engineers to replace retiring baby boomers as well as to grow the workforce – with training programs.
At a recent press event, the governor released more details on how Real Jobs RI is going to make a difference for EB, Rhode Island's largest manufacturer, and the details reveal how, things can go right in the Ocean State.
Under a partnership named Pipelines to Manufacturing Careers in Ship Building, supported by a $369,500 grant from Real Jobs RI, six high schools, the New England Institute of Technology and the Community College of Rhode Island are creating opportunities for secondary school students, adults who are unemployed or underemployed and armed service veterans to learn the skills needed to fill EB's needs.
The program requires coordination among the partners as well as significant marketing efforts to engage the people who can benefit from it. But it's all extremely doable. And absolutely necessary. •