[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 98 (Tuesday, June 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H3683-H3684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HISTORIC PERIOD OF WORKFORCE GROWTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Connecticut (Mr. Courtney) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, a couple of weeks ago, on May 29, Grasso 
Tech, a career and technical secondary school located in Groton, 
Connecticut, was the site of an extraordinary event, the Electric Boat 
High School Signing Day.
  Mr. Speaker, Electric Boat is a shipbuilding company over 100 years 
old, headquartered in Groton. It has a proud history of building 
submarines during World War I, World War II, and the Cold War, with a 
workforce of highly skilled men and women who have always answered our 
Nation's call to deliver perhaps the most complex platform in our 
Nation's arsenal. These technological wonders operate in an environment 
that does not support human life, with stealth and power unmatched by 
any other peer nation.
  Today, in 2024, the shipyard is experiencing another historic period 
of workforce growth. EB is the general contractor for both of the Navy 
submarine programs, the Virginia-class attack submarines and the 
Columbia ballistic submarine program. Both programs represent an effort 
authorized and funded by Congress to recapitalize our Nation's aging 
submarine fleet, which is in high demand driven by a high tempo of 
operations all across the globe.
  In 2023, EB hired a staggering 5,300 new workers in the metal trades 
and engineering and plans to double that number in 2024. In order to 
meet that demand, trade schools, regular comprehensive high schools, 
community colleges, job training programs, including pre-apprenticeship 
and full apprenticeship classes, have been ramping up since 2016.
  On May 29, Grasso Tech hosted over 200 graduating 17- and 18-year-
olds from across Connecticut and neighboring States, who walked across 
the stage, received their hardhats, a certificate, and a handshake from 
representatives of the yard, welcoming them to a rewarding and exciting 
career with great starting wages and benefits.
  Many are graduates from Grasso Tech, whose principal, Patricia 
Feeney, and her amazing staff imparted training as welders, 
electricians, designers, and other skills that positioned them to take 
on this work.
  In addition to Grasso, other tech schools, such as Norwich Tech, 
Ellis Tech, Windham Tech, and Vinal Tech, are part of this concerted 
effort to connect students to this opportunity.
  Not just tech schools were part of this ceremony. Regular 
comprehensive high schools are getting into the act with Career Pathway 
programs, accessing Federal Perkins grant funding to set up machine 
booths, welding booths, machine tools, and other equipment to train up 
high schoolers in collaboration with EB. Westbrook High School, 
Tourtellotte High School in Thompson, Norwich Free Academy, Daniel Hand

[[Page H3684]]

High School in Madison, and Waterford High School, just to name a few, 
are actively creating these pathways for nontrade high school secondary 
students.
  As I said, the plan this year is to hire an additional 5,000 workers. 
One of the other key engines to achieve that goal is the Eastern 
Connecticut Manufacturing Pipeline, which provides accelerating job 
training for adults looking to work in the yard.
  MPI will train a job-ready welder in 10 weeks, and electricians and 
outside machinists in 8 weeks, free of charge. It started in 2016 with 
funding from the U.S. Department of Labor and, as the chart shows, has 
grown exponentially, with 945 graduates in 2023, a pace that is 
continuing as I speak here today in 2024.
  Mr. Speaker, what is so special about MPI is that its classes operate 
in the late afternoons and evenings at Grasso Tech. After the tech 
school programs end at 2 p.m. and the students go home on their buses 
or with their parents, the MPI students arrive to use the school's 
welding booth machine tools that otherwise would lie fallow. It is a 
brilliant, efficient way to use the facilities to keep the training and 
hiring process moving forward.
  What is the outcome of all this? Mr. Speaker, our submarine 
industrial base is picking up the pace of production. A month ago, USS 
New Jersey was delivered to the Navy. USS Massachusetts and Iowa are on 
track for delivery by the end of 2024. That is the 24th, 25th, and 26th 
Virginia sub, and the 27th and the 28th are slated for delivery in 
2025, the USS Idaho and the USS Arkansas. There were 5,300 hires last 
year with 86 percent retention; 5,200 hires on track for this year with 
90 percent retention, and five attack submarines to be delivered in 
over a 2\1/2\ year period.
  It is a great testament to the American worker who, as in times past, 
has overcome the skeptics and stepped up to keep freedom's forge moving 
forward.
  I congratulate all the 200-plus students, who now have the clearance 
badge to show up for work in Groton, on a job well done.

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