Building Earlier Entry Points into Submarine Manufacturing Careers

Submarine manufacturing career exposure is being introduced during middle- and early high-school years. ThroughSparkForcecamps tailored to submarine manufacturing, students ages 12-16 gain hands-on experience, industry visibility, and direct contact with suppliers at the stage when career interests first begin to take shape.

Problem & Opportunity

Manufacturing faces a long-term talent challenge, with as many as 2.1 million jobs projected to go unfilled through 2030. That creates a clear opportunity to reach students earlier, before career pathways are set, and build awareness of submarine manufacturing careers among young people who otherwise may never encounter them.

Objective

Increase awareness of and interest in submarine manufacturing career pathways and maritime career pathways by expanding SparkForce summer camps and integrating maritime content into the camp experience.

Solution

The investment supports early career awareness programming through up to 10 BuildSubmarines.com/SparkForce co-branded Submarine Manufacturing Camps in select locations aligned with submarine industrial base key regions. It also enables curriculum integration, adding submarine manufacturing content to SparkForce’s existing hands-on, project-based format so students connect technical activities to real career pathways. A third element is industry exposure. Each of the 10 specialized camps includes at least one supplier field trip, giving participants exposure to submarine manufacturing settings and suppliers.

Impact

• SparkForce reached 4,282 students across 305 sponsored camps and one Building Giants (SIB Program Office focused) fully-funded camp in summer 2024, and 5,062 students across 315 sponsored camps and four Building Giants (SIB Program Office-focused) fully-funded camp in summer 2025, demonstrating continued national growth.
• The national sponsorship of SparkForce camps is expected to reach approximately 15,000 campers and their families over the span of 3 years.
• The submarine-focused effort itself has launched five specialized camps in Ohio, Mississippi, Illinois, California, and New York, directly reaching 100 students.
• Submarine manufacturing career information was also shared with more than 5,000 additional SparkForce 
campers nationwide, extending exposure well beyond the fully funded camps.

About BlueForge Alliance

BlueForge Alliance (BFA) is the national nonprofit, neutral integrator whose mission is to reinvigorate the U.S. defense industrial base necessary to produce next generation capabilities in partnership with the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense. BFA is a critical partner in the U.S. Navy Submarine Industrial Base’s mission to ensure industry has the capability, capacity, and resilience to build and maintain America’s next generation of undersea platforms and to support international commitments under the AUKUS partnership. The organization’s team of experts in a variety of disciplines focus on addressing critical workforce, technology, and supplier development needs. BFA is headquartered in Bryan/College Station, Texas. For more information, visit www.BlueForgeAlliance.us.