Expanding Gulf Coast Training Capacity for Day-One-Ready Shipbuilders

Bollinger Shipyards is expanding a structured bootcamp model that can convert new hires into productive shipyard workers faster and at greater scale. Through renovation of dedicated training space in Gulfport and support for instruction inshipfitting, pipefitting, and pipe welding, the effort strengthens a critical workforce pipeline for Gulf Coast shipbuilding whileestablishinga more durable local training ecosystem.

The Problem & Opportunity

Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding needed more training capacity to meet current and future workforce demand tied to Navy and Coast Guard production. Its bootcamp was operating in borrowed space at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, limiting scale and creating a bottleneck in the company’s ability to recruit, train, and place skilled craft workers into the yard.

Objective

Expand Bollinger’s Skilled Craft Bootcamp so it can train substantially more entry-level workers in core shipbuilding trades and build a sustained pipeline of qualified hires.

Solution

The investment enables three reinforcing improvements. First, it expands training infrastructure by renovating space at Bollinger’s Gulfport facility and outfitting it with the equipment, furniture, and classroom materials needed to support higher training throughput. Second, it strengthens workforce delivery through a bootcamp model developed with local partners. The program combines classroom instruction with hands-on learning in shipfitting, pipefitting, and pipe welding, giving trainees practical exposure before placement in the yard. Third, it helps establish a regional workforce partnership anchored by Bollinger, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, South Mississippi Planning & Development District, andAccelerateMS, improving the long-term sustainability of the effort.

Impact

• The renovated Gulfport site is planned to deliver 7,680 square feet of dedicated training space, creating capacity that did not previously exist.
• At a 70% graduation rate, that would yield an anticipated 392 graduates, representing a meaningful increase in available skilled labor for production work.
• Execution has begun, with the first milestone payment issued and renovation completion and outfitting targeted for April 2026.
• Across the 5-year project period, the bootcamp is expected to train 560 people, materially widening access to core shipbuilding skills at a critical Gulf Coast shipbuilder.
• Bollinger has also committed to recruit, train, and hire 90 students per year after the program period, extending the usefulness of the investment beyond the initial funded window.

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.